Is neutrophilia associated with mortality of COVID-19? A meta-analysis and meta-regressionLi Shi1, Ying Wang1, Xuan Liang1, Wenwei Xiao1, Guangcai Duan1, Haiyan Yang1*, Yadong Wang2*1Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.2Department of Toxicology, Henan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Zhengzhou 450016, China.*Corresponding author: Haiyan Yang, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, No. 100 of Science Avenue, Zhengzhou 450001, China. Phone: 86-371-67781248; Fax: 86-371-67781248; Email address:[email protected]. Yadong Wang, Department of Toxicology, Henan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No. 105 of South Nongye Road, Zhengzhou 450016, China. Email address: [email protected]: This study was supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81973105).Conflicts of interest: All authors report that they have no potential conflicts of interest.Running title: Neutrophilia and mortality in COVID-19 patientsKeywords:COVID-19, Neutrophil, Mortality, Meta-analysisAuthor contributions: Conceptualization: Li Shi, Haiyan Yang, Yadong Wang; Data extraction: Li Shi, Ying Wang, Xuan Liang, and Wenwei Xiao; Data analysis: Li Shi and Ying Wang; Methodology: Li Shi, Ying Wang, Guangcai Duan, Haiyan Yang, and Yadong Wang; Software: Li Shi, Xuan Liang, and Wenwei Xiao; Writing and review: Li Shi, Ying Wang, Haiyan Yang, Yadong Wang. All the authors approved the final manuscript.