Ferroni E, Giorgi Rossi P, Spila Alegiani S, et al. - The present study was conducted to provide population-based survival curves of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Researchers performed a cohort study in three areas of Northern Italy, heavily affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection (Lombardy and Veneto Regions, and Reggio Emilia province), applying a loco-regional COVID-19 surveillance system, linked to hospital discharge databases. They enrolled all individuals testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by RT-PCR on nasopharyngeal/throat swab samples who were hospitalized from 21 February to 21 April 2020. They computed Kaplan–Meier survival estimates at 14 and 30 days for death in any setting, stratifying by age, gender, and the Charlson Index. They distinguished 42,926 hospitalized COVID-19 individuals. The results of this study revealed that the high fatality rate observed in the study (28% at 30 days) implies that studies should focus on death as the primary endpoint during a follow-up of at least one month.