Diagnosing COVID‐19 in the Emergency Department: A Scoping Review of Clinical Examinations, Laboratory Tests, Imaging Accuracy, and Biases

Abstract

In December 2019 a novel viral respiratory pathogen emerged in China, ultimately named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐Co‐V‐2) with the clinical illness dubbed coronavirus disease (COVID‐19). COVID‐19 became a global pandemic in early 2020 forcing governments worldwide to enact social isolation policies with dire economic ramifications. Emergency departments (ED) encountered decreased patient volumes before some in Seattle, New York City, New Orleans, and Detroit experienced waves of COVID‐19 patients mixed with asymptomatic patients or those concerned about potential exposures. Diagnosing COVID‐19 was hampered by inadequate supplies of reagents and kits, which was compounded by clinical and radiographic features that overlap with numerous seasonal viral respiratory infections.