Hospitalization as an outcome in ambulatory COVID-19 trials—not applicable in every setting

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has stressed hospitals worldwide [1]. Thus, most randomized trials have focused on hospitalized patients, and their primary outcomes have frequently included mechanical ventilation and death. It is only until recently that treatments for ambulatory patients (remdesivir, molnupiravir, and nirmatrelvir) have been included by the Infectious Diseases Society of America in their COVID-19 guidelines [2]. The randomized trials behind these drugs have a composite of hospitalization and death as their main outcome [3–5].