A local research team has identified four prognostic factors that lead to serious cases of COVID-19.

According to the medical sector on Wednesday, researchers at the Regional Center for Respiratory Diseases under the Yeungnam University Medical Center came across the four factors after analyzing 110 COVID-19 patients who were treated at the center between February and April.  

The research team found that people who have diabetes, a fever of more than 37-point-eight degrees, oxygen saturation of less than 92 percent and a blood level of creatine kinase myocardial band higher than six-point-three had a higher risk of developing severe cases of the coronavirus.  

A top researcher on the team said the latest study is the first of its kind to be conducted in the nation, adding that the four factors will help healthcare workers determine which cases could become serious early on.  

The results were published in the Journal of Korean Medicine Science.