Background: The aim of this study was to explore the predictive value of D-dimer and D-dimer to platelet ratio (DPR) on admission in COVID-19 patients. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of confirmed COVID-19 patients that were admitted to the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from January 30, 2020 to February 15, 2020. The baseline clinical and laboratory parameters were collected.Results: 264 COVID-19 patients were enrolled in this study, of whom 52 died during hospitalization and 212 were discharged from the hospital. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated that the area under curve (AUC) of D-dimer was 0.818 with a sensitivity of 75.0% and a specificity of 78.3%, and the AUC of DPR was 0.847 with a sensitivity of 84.6% and a specificity of 75.5% for the prediction of in-hospital mortality on admission. Patients with higher D-dimer or DPR levels were associated with higher mortality risk, compared to those who lower levels. The multivariable Cox regression indicated that in-hospital mortality was associated with age (hazard ratio (HR) 1.034, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.011-1.058, P=0.003), gender (HR 0.553, 95% CI 0.313-0.976; P=0.041), coronary heart disease (HR 2.315, 95% CI 1.276-4.200; P=0.006), elevated D-dimer (HR 6.111, 95% CI 3.095-12.068; P<0.001), and elevated DPR (HR 7.158, 95% CI 3.633-14.101; P<0.001). Conclusions: DPR levels seem to be slightly better at predicting mortality than D-dimer, and elevated D-dimer and DPR can both be considered independent risk factors of the death in COVID-19 patients.