Abstract
There is a serious concern over the variation of case fatality that
reflects the preparedness of the medical care system in response to the
surge of pneumonia patients. The variation of fatal COVID-19 was in
parallel with the heterogeneity of progression from pneumonia to ARDS,
ranging from 3.4% to 63% based on data from 12 countries, accounting
for 95% positive association between this key indicator and case
fatality rate of COVID-19. Predicting fatal COVID-19 with the
progression from pneumonia to ARDS is conducive to the preparedness of
medical care facilities for the optimal management of a spectrum of
COVID-19 patients.