Patient Sampling  Purpose: description of initial clinical features in patients with suspected and confirmed SARS‐CoV‐2 infectionDesign: cross‐sectional, retrospective studyRecruitment: all patients with suspected COVID‐19 who presented to the ED of the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC and the Infectious Hospital of the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC for the first timeSample size: n = 116 (32 cases)Inclusion criteria:patients defined as suspected SARS‐CoV‐2 infection based on guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pneumonia caused by novel coronavirus infection (trial version III)