Inpatient Care of Patients with COVID-19: A Guide for Hospitalists

Since its emergence in December 2019, the virus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has quickly spread throughout the world. This virus is pathogenic in humans and causes what is now known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. As of March 25, 2020, there have been 54,453 cases of COVID-19 in the United States1 and 414,179 cases worldwide2. As an increasing proportion of the at-risk population becomes infected, and patients with severe illness are hospitalized, it is essential for hospitalists to remain current on how to best care for people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.