Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

November 2, 2020

Residual SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Nasal Swabs of Convalescent COVID-19: Is Prolonged Quarantine Always Justified?

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Residual SARS-CoV-2 RNA load was not substantially associated with ongoing virus replication in a prospective, multicenter observational study of residual RNA load. Nasal swab samples were collected from patients (n = 387) who clinically recovered from COVID-19. The median quantification cycle (Cq) was 37.0, and overall, 2.3% of RT-PCR positive samples with low or very low RNA levels were able to transmit infection in cell monolayers. The authors argue that their results raise questions about the clinical importance of highly sensitive RT-PCR methods, as positive RNA tests may not indicate that patients are still contagious. 

Piralla et al. (Oct 2020). Residual SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Nasal Swabs of Convalescent COVID-19: Is Prolonged Quarantine Always Justified? International Journal of Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.10.072