According to new information revealed in a study of the AHA’s COVID-19 Cardiovascular Disease Registry, new onset AFib occurs in 5% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Patients who developed new-onset AFib experienced longer hospital stays and approximately 45% died during their hospitalization. Atrial fibrillation can directly increase the risk of stroke and prolong hospitalization. It is also an indirect marker of the insult that the heart is experiencing when patients are infected with COVID-19.