July 7, 2020

Association of initial viral load in SARS-COV-2 patients with outcome and symptoms

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Clinical Characteristics and Health Care Setting

• Argyropoulos et al. found that higher SARS-CoV-2 viral load was associated with shorter duration of symptoms prior to testing among patients seen in emergency departments in New York City (n=205) and was associated with shorter duration of stay for hospitalized patients (n=40).Viral load was not associated with admission to ICU, length of oxygen support, or overall survival. 
• The authors suggest that higher viral loads are seen in mild rather than severe disease states because viral load reflects the time since onset of infection. 

Argyropoulos et al. (July 2, 2020). Association of initial viral load in SARS-COV-2 patients with outcome and symptoms. The American Journal of Pathology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpath.2020.07.001