Clinical characteristics and outcomes of confirmed COVID-19 patients in the early months of the pandemic in Tanzania: a multicenter cohort study

•Data on COVID-19 in Tanzania are scant•Clinical outcomes for 121 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 were examined•Three-quarters of all COVID-19 patients were aged < 60 years•High ICU admission rates and death rates were observed A prospective cohort study of the clinical presentations and management outcomes of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients in the early months of the pandemic was performed at two hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Between April 1 and May 31, 2020, laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients seen at two tertiary facilities were consecutively enrolled in the study and followed up for 21 days. 121 COVID-19 patients were enrolled; 112 (92.6%) were admitted while nine (7.4%) were seen as outpatients. The median (IQR) age of patients was 41 (30–54) years; 72 (59.5%) were male. The median (IQR) reported days from hospital admission to recovery and to death were 10 (6–18) and 5.5 (3–9), respectively. Forty-four (36.4%) patients had at least one underlying condition. Of the 112 admissions, 17 (15.2%) went to ICU, of whom 14 (82.3%) died. At the end of follow-up, 93 (76.9%) recovered, 18 (14.9%) died, seven (5.8%) remained asymptomatic, and one (0.8%) remained ill. Three-quarters of all COVID-19 patients were less than 60 years, reflecting Africa's young population . High ICU admissions and mortality were observed.