Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic with a high rate of transmission . Currently, there is a lack of vaccines and specific drugs for this newly-emerged virus . Timely diagnosis and treatment, as well as isolation of patients and virus carriers, contribute to the effective prevention and control of this epidemic . This review focuses on early stage COVID-19 diagnosis methods and strategies, highlighting the guiding role of laboratory indicators on treatment strategy formulation, and prognosis assessments.