Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

November 17, 2020

Prolonged Shedding of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Patients with COVID-19. Emerging Microbes & Infections

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In a cohort of “long-term” COVID-19 patients who recovered from acute disease but still shed viral RNA for more than 3 months (n=38), the median shedding duration was 92 days. Fluctuations between positive and negative PCR tests were observed and viral loads were lower than in patients with acute infection. Most participants were elderly people (median age 65 years) with a history of mild infection. Genomic analysis matched patient samples with viral clades known to be circulating 3 months prior, suggesting the long-term carriers persistently carried SARS-CoV-2 and were not re-infected.

Li et al. (Nov 16, 2020). Prolonged Shedding of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Patients with COVID-19. Emerging Microbes & Infections. https://doi.org/10.1080/22221751.2020.1852058