LAUSR

The number of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)) infection continues to rise globally. Physicians across specialties continue to play a pivotal role in the diagnosis and management of this disease. Early diagnosis with good sensitivity and specificity is important to cohort patients in the appropriate section of a multispecialty hospital. This is especially relevant in resource-limited settings, where triaging and isolation decisions as well as “intensity” of use of personal protective equipment, need to be taken quickly. Streamlining of workflows for rapid diagnosis and isolation, initial management, and infection prevention will matter not only to patients with COVID-19, but also to healthcare workers and other patients who are at risk from nosocomial transmission. The gold standard reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) test often takes >24 h, particularly when sent to an external centre. It is further limited by sampling issues and reduced sensitivity in actual clinical practice, in spite of its high sensitivity and specificity in vitro [1]. Non-contrast high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) has repeatedly been shown to be sensitive to changes in COVID-19 pneumonia, sometimes preceding RT-PCR positivity [1–3]. However, in many parts of the world, access to computed tomography (CT) is limited, with issues like downtime due to the need for decontamination, cost, etc. In this setting, relatively cheap and “isolatable” portable chest radiography can play an important role in initial screening and diagnosis of COVID-19 [4]. A Likert score based on chest radiography of symptomatic patients of #COVID19 can be used as a diagnostic and triaging tool in the emergency room to help physicians identify patients with likelihood of COVID-19 and triage them appropriately https://bit.ly/3gDxzDK