Abstract: medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.28.20114835; this version posted June 2, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license . 1 Category : Original Article 2 Title: Viral Dynamics Matter in COVID-19 Pneumonia: the success of early treatment with 3 hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin in Lebanon. 4 5 Authors: 6 Amanda Chamieh1,2, Claude Afif2, Gerard El-Hajj3, Omar Zmerli2, Isabelle Djaffar- 7 Jureidini4, Roy A. Raad3, Raja Ashou3, Georges Juvelekian5, Jean-Marc Rolain1 and Eid 8 Azar2* 9 10 11 Affiliations: 1- Aix-Marseille Université, AP-HM, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement 12 (IRD), Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI), Institut Hospitalo- 13 Universitaire Méditerranée-Infection, Marseille, France. 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 2- Division of Infectious Diseases, Saint George Hospital University Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. 3- Department of Radiology, Saint George Hospital University Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. 4- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Saint George Hospital University Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. 5- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Saint George Hospital University Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. 22 23 Running Title: Viral Dynamics Matter in COVID-19 Pneumonia 24 25 Declarations of Interest and Funding/Support Statement: 3 NOTE: This preprint reports new research that has not been certified by peer review and should not be used to guide clinical practice. medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.28.20114835; this version posted June 2, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license . 26 This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, 27 commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. 28 Acknowledgements: 29 This work was supported by the Saint George Hospital University Medical Center 30 Beirut, Lebanon. 31 *Corresponding Author: 32 Eid Azar, M.D. 33 Infectious Disease, Chief of Staff 34 Associate Chief Medical Officer for Safety, Risk Management, and Infection Prevention and 35 Control 36 Saint George Hospital University Medical Center, Youssef Sursock St. – Achrafieh, Beirut, 37 Lebanon; eeazar@stgeorgehospital.org; +961 03 665358 38 39 40 4 medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.28.20114835; this version posted June 2, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license . 41 Category: Original Article 42 43 Title: Viral Dynamics Matter in COVID-19 Pneumonia: the success of early treatment with 44 hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin in Lebanon. 45 46 Running Title: Viral Dynamics Matter in COVID-19 Pneumonia 5 medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.28.20114835; this version posted June 2, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to..