“…Outcomes of interest included: (i) COVID-19, defined by a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test (voluntary reporting of rapid antigen test (RAT) positive test was not included) as confirmed by the Department of Health of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government; (ii) COVID-19-related hospitalization, defined as hospital admission within 28 days following a positive PCR test; (iii) COVID-19-related mortality, defined as all-cause mortality within 28 days following a positive PCR test; (iv) severe COVID-19, defined as a composite of COVID-19-related mortality or intensive care unit (ICU) admission or ventilatory support (ICD-9 procedure codes: 39.65, 89. Covariates included age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score [14], index date, presence of comorbidities (hypertension [15], diabetes mellitus [16], dyslipidemia [17], cardiovascular disease [18], respiratory disease, obesity diagnosis [19], smoking [20], Covariates included age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score [14], index date, presence of comorbidities (hypertension [15], diabetes mellitus [16], dyslipidemia [17], cardiovascular disease [18], respiratory disease, obesity diagnosis [19], smoking [20], alcohol use disorders [21], ulcers, moderate-to-severe liver disease [22][23][24], chronic renal failure [25]), and medication use within the past 90 days (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) [26], metformin, lipid-modifying drugs, antiplatelets, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), oral anticoagulants, oral corticosteroids, antidepressants, antiviral drugs, PPIs [10,11], or H2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) [27].…”