Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a serious public health concern worldwide. The virus mainly causes respiratory symptoms, but its manifestations might be different. Assessments showed that COVID-19 can cause various alterations in the blood parameters. Objectives: This study aimed to detect the most common changes in the blood parameters in COVID-19 patients and compare them with healthy individuals. Methods: In this study, 350 individuals were grouped into two equal groups of COVID‐19 patients and healthy controls. Results: The mean age of patients was 53.73 years, and males constituted 52.57% of them. Middle aged patients constituted about 55.43% of participants, elderly patients 26.29%, and young patients 18.29%. There was a significant correlation between COVID-19 and all the blood parameters, including Hb, MCV, WBC, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and platelets (P = 0.000). Conclusions: Infection with COVID-19 is associated with multisystem symptoms and signs, as well as numerous laboratory abnormalities. An increased focus should be on changes in the blood parameters as valuable markers in suggesting the infection when the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is negative. These parameters can give clues about the severity of the infection and predict the admission to the intensive care unit (ICU).

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Background: The novel coronavirus is responsible for a widespread pandemic, causing multiple clinical manifestations. Peripheral blood films have shown changes in white blood cell (WBC) morphology and counts, as well as platelet abnormalities. Atypical and reactive lymphocytes may also be observed in the blood film, which suggests mild leukoerythroblastosis. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the hematological and morphological changes in the peripheral blood smear of patients with COVID-19. Methods: This study was conducted on 175 patients diagnosed with COVID‐19 infection. Blood samples were collected from the patients and examined for the estimation of blood parameters, differential cell count, and presence of atypical lymphocytes. Results: The mean age of the patients was 53.73 years, and males constituted 52.6% of the patients. The majority had normal hemoglobin levels. WBC count was normal in 60.6% of the patients, while 74.3% had normal platelet count, and thrombocytopenia was detected in 23.4%. In addition, differential WBC count indicated that 56.6% of the patients had normal neutrophils, while lymphopenia was detected in 28 and 77.7% had a low eosinophil count. The peripheral blood smears showed atypical lymphocytes with deeply basophilic cytoplasm in 21.14% of the patients. Conclusions: Blood film examination may show multiple abnormal findings in patients with COVID-19 infection. Neutrophilia and lymphopenia with the presence of atypical lymphocytes are frequently observed as well. Low eosinophil count is also highly common. Although platelets showed changes, they were normal or reduced in most cases.