SynthesisPloS one2020
The prevalence of symptoms in 24,410 adults infected by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19): A systematic review and meta-analysis of 148 studies from 9 countries.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04623138 (A Decentralized, Prospective Study Exploring the Relationship Between Passively-collected Data From Wearable Activity Devices and SARS-CoV-2 Infection), which is not on this map. Cited by 363 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Decentralized, Prospective Study Exploring the Relationship Between Passively-collected Data From Wearable Activity Devices and SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Who cites it
363 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Patient-reported toxicity symptoms during tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment in chronic myeloid leukemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Pooled it
- COVID-19 in patients with Down syndrome: A systematic review.Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2024Pooled it
- Nirmatrelvir combined with ritonavir for preventing and treating COVID-19.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Diagnostic accuracy of clinical signs and symptoms of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the different estimates in a different stage of the pandemic outbreak.Journal of global health · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Nirmatrelvir combined with ritonavir for preventing and treating COVID-19.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- 2022 ACC Expert Consensus Decision Pathway on Cardiovascular Sequelae of COVID-19 in Adults: Myocarditis and Other Myocardial Involvement, Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection, and Return to Play: A Report of the American College of Cardiology Solution Set Oversight Committee.Journal of the American College of Cardiology · 2022Guideline
- Clinical Features of COVID-19 Patients in the First Year of Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Biological research for nursing · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review assessing the effectiveness of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in chronic kidney disease (CKD) individuals.F1000Research · 2022Pooled it
- Implementation of an Emergency Medical Service-Integrated Teleconsultation Follow-Up Unit for Home-Based Patients With Suspected COVID-19 During Epidemiological Uncertainty in an Island Territory: Retrospective Descriptive Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Article
- Modulation of Host Innate Immune Response by Highly Pathogenic Human Coronaviruses during Viral Infection.Journal of microbiology and biotechnology · 2026Review
- Automated Detection of COVID-19 Using Machine Learning Analysis of White Blood Cell Flow Cytometry Images.Cureus · 2026Article
- Psychopathological, neuropsychological and sociodemographic description of the population using a post-COVID outpatient clinic: results from the 2Long4COVID BLOOD study.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026Article
- Potential predictors of COVID-19 disease infection and severity in Egypt.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Humoral immunity and infection status of PLWH following vaccination after the BA.5/BF.7 wave.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Association between comorbid conditions and disease severity in COVID-19 patients: A retrospective study from a government medical college hospital of Central India.Bioinformation · 2026Article
- Health inequalities in risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in England's second wave: population-based cross-sectional analysis from the REACT-1 study.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Combined serum amyloid A and heparin-binding protein levels on admission reliably predict the severity and outcomes of COVID-19 infection in elderly patients: a retrospective study from Hangzhou, China.Annals of medicine · 2025Article
- Humoral immunity and clinical characteristics of Chinese college students experiencing a BA.5/BF.7 and XBB.1.5 wave.Scientific reports · 2025Article
303 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTo limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2, an evidence-based understanding of the symptoms is critical to inform guidelines for quarantining and testing. The most common features are purported to be fever and a new persistent cough, although the global prevalence of these symptoms remains unclear. The aim of this systematic review is to determine the prevalence of symptoms associated with COVID-19 worldwide.
methodsWe searched PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, AMED, medRxiv and bioRxiv on 5th April 2020 for studies of adults (>16 years) with laboratory test confirmed COVID-19. No language or publication status restrictions were applied. Data were independently extracted by two review authors into standardised forms. All datapoints were independently checked by three other review authors. A random-effects model for pooling of binomial data was applied to estimate the prevalence of symptoms, subgrouping estimates by country. I2 was used to assess inter-study heterogeneity.
resultsOf 851 unique citations, 148 articles were included which comprised 24,410 adults with confirmed COVID-19 from 9 countries. The most prevalent symptoms were fever (78% [95% CI 75%-81%]; 138 studies, 21,701 patients; I2 94%), a cough (57% [95% CI 54%-60%]; 138 studies, 21,682 patients; I2 94%) and fatigue (31% [95% CI 27%-35%]; 78 studies, 13,385 patients; I2 95%). Overall, 19% of hospitalised patients required non-invasive ventilation (44 studies, 6,513 patients), 17% required intensive care (33 studies, 7504 patients), 9% required invasive ventilation (45 studies, 6933 patients) and 2% required extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (12 studies, 1,486 patients). The mortality rate was 7% (73 studies, 10,402 patients).
conclusionsWe confirm that fever and cough are the most prevalent symptoms of adults infected by SARS-CoV-2. However, there is a large proportion of infected adults which symptoms-alone do not identify.
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