Infection with COVID-19 although the disease is already cleared?
In the time of the corona crisis, it is to prevent the spread is important to understand whether people with a COVID-19 infection can excrete the Virus after resolution of their symptoms. In fact, a study shows that half of the patients studied, with a slight COVID-19 infection is shedding the Virus even after the resolution of their complaints continue.
In the current study of the Chinese PLA General Hospital in Beijing, it was found that half of the patients were treated for a slight COVID-19 infection, carried up to eight days after the Disappearance of the symptoms of the corona virus in itself. The results of the study were published in the English journal “the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine”.
16 persons were investigated
The study included 16 participants with COVID-19, which is between the 28. January and the 9. February 2020 in the treatment center of PLA General Hospital in Beijing, and after recovery were discharged is treated. The persons examined had an average age of 35.5 years.
What tests were performed?
The researchers took samples of throat swabs were taken from all Participants on alternate days and analyzed. The patients were discharged after their recovery and the confirmation of a negative virus status by at least two consecutive Polymerase chain reaction tests.
Virus was also after the disappearance of the symptoms present in the body
The results of the study show that approximately half of the patients excreting the Virus even after the decay of their symptoms continue. More serious infections can even even longer excretion times. Among the primary symptoms of this people fever, cough, pain in the throat and restricted breathing or shortness of breath (dyspnea).
Infectious period after the end of the symptoms lasted up to eight days
The time from infection to Onset of symptoms (incubation period) in all patients (with one exception) for five days. The average duration of symptoms was eight days, while the duration of the Contagion was after the end of the symptoms in the patients between one and eight days. Two patients suffered from Diabetes and a tuberculosis. Both of these disorders are not influenced by the time of the end of the COVID-19 infection.
How can contagion to other people to avoid?
If people suffered from slight respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 and your home therefore do not have to leave in order to avoid a contagion to other people, you should should extend the quarantine after the disappearance of symptoms for a further two weeks, conclude the researchers. So, it could be ensured that no other people are infected.
Affected persons can also be in accordance with the recovery still contagious
People with COVID-19 can also be after your recovery from the symptoms is still infectious, so asymptomatic, or fresh convalescent persons should be treated just as carefully as symptomatic patients, emphasizing the research group.
Further research is needed
The researchers could only examine a small number of people only under the milder infections. Therefore, it is unclear whether similar results would apply for the more vulnerable patients such as the elderly, patients with suppressed immune system and patients with immunosuppressive therapies. Further research would be appropriate here. (as)