**2. Materials and Methods**

#### *2.1. Setting and Patients*

This retrospective, observational study was conducted between November 2020 and March 2021 at a German 14-bed COVID-19 ICU (Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne, Germany). Included in this study were adult patients (age ≥ 18 years) with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections requiring ICU treatment. A confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection was defined as a positive reverse transcriptase PCR result obtained from nasopharyngeal swabs and/or lower respiratory tract aspirates. Samples for BC and NGS were obtained when a BSI was suspected by the attending physician based on the clinical signs and symptoms of sepsis. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty of the University of Cologne (Reference No. 21-1444).
