Highlights• The majority of cases were in the age group of 50 to 60 years of old.•A total of 2964 cases of COVID-19 were investigated. J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o fThe datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Since Dec. 2019 the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has infected millions and claimed life of several hundred thousand worldwide. However, so far no approved vaccine or drug therapy is available for treatment of virus infection. Convalescent plasma has been considered a potential modality for COVID-19 infection. One hundred eighty-nine COVID-19 positive patients including 115 patients in plasma therapy group and 74 patients in control group, registered in the hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 infection, entered this multi-center clinical study. Comparison of outcomes including all-cause mortality, total hospitalization days and patients’ need for intubation between the two patient groups shows that total of 98 (98.2 %) of patients who received convalescent plasma were discharged from hospital which is substantially higher compared to 56 (78.7 %) patients in control group. Length of hospitalization days was significantly lower (9.54 days) in convalescent plasma group compared with that of control group (12.88 days). Only 8 patients (7%) in convalescent plasma group required intubation while that was 20 % in control group. This clinical study provides strong evidence to support the efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy in COVID-19 patients and recommends this treatment for management of these patients. Clinical efficacy, immediate availability and potential cost effectiveness could be considered as main advantages of convalescent plasma therapy.

Objective: The current study compared the clinical, laboratory and radiological findings between groups of smokers and non- smokers Iranian patients with COVID-19. Methods: This was a case-control study done on 120 patients with COVID-19 that were admitted to Baqiyatallah hospital, Tehran, Iran during March to May 2020. Our patients were categorized into two groups: smokers (40 patients) and non-smokers (80 age and sex matched controls). Demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, imaging manifestations, and outcomes were compared between two age groups. Results: Regarding the comorbidities, no significant difference was observed between the smoker and non-smoker patients. The distribution of COVID-19 symptoms was not significantly different between smokers and non-smokers, except for chest pain and weakness, which were significantly more common in smokers with COVID-19. A significantly lower white blood cell count and neutrophils in peripheral blood sample of smokers however, no difference was found concerning lymphocyte count. Moreover, the RDW of smokers was significantly lower. Regarding the findings on CT scan of COVID-19 patients, no significant difference was found between smoker and non-smoker COVID-19 patients. One (2.5%) of deaths occurred in the smoker and 3 (3.8%) occurred in the non- smoker groups.Conclusion: Current findings showed that the clinical picture of smoker and non-smoker COVID-19 patients does not differ significantly.

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Background: Convalescent plasma (CP) transfusion is one of the suggested treatments for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) especially in critically ill patients. Methods: We investigated the efficacy and safety of CP transfusion in 50 consecutive COVID-19 patients with severe/ critically ill disease. Severe disease was defined as having at least one of the following: shortness of breath, respiratory frequency ≥ 20/min, blood oxygen saturation ≤ 93%, partial pressure of arterial oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen ratio < 300, lung infiltrates > 50% within recent 24-48 hours. Critically ill disease was considered as intensive care unit admission, respiratory failure, septic shock, or multiple organ dysfunction or failure. Primary outcomes included the safety of CP transfusion, 14-day and 30-day survival rate, and change in lung computed tomography (CT) scan score. Several other clinical and laboratory features were evaluated as secondary outcome. Results: Of 50 consecutive patients, 21 were on mechanical ventilation at time of CP transfusion. Totally, 32 patients (64%) survived 30 days after CP transfusion. Survival rate was 74% and 44% in patients who received CP <7 and ≥7 days of admission, respectively. While 92% of patients without mechanical ventilation survived, survival was 29% in patients on mechanical ventilation. CT scan score and some other clinical features were improved. No adverse effects were observed. Conclusion: CP transfusion is a safe and effective treatment in COVID-19 patients with severe/ critically ill disease. The best outcome can be achieved in patients who are not on mechanical ventilation especially early in the disease course.