This tool helps predict which COVID patients will need hospitalization and which can be sent home

As emergency rooms brace for a surge atop a surge, UC Irvine has unveiled a free, online tool to help health care pros predict which patients might be safely sent home, and which might need the most critical care. “The goal is to give an earlier alert to clinicians to identify patients who may be vulnerable at the onset,” said Daniel S. Chow, an assistant professor in residence in radiological sciences and first author of a study published in PLOS ONE, in a prepared statement.