Viral shedding in asymptomatic versus symptomatic patients with COVID-19

Background An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is becoming a public health emergency. Data are limited on the association between a prolonged viral shedding in patients with COVID-19 and having symptoms. We aimed to study the association between the presence of symptoms and recovery t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of public health 2021-10, Vol.31 (Supplement_3)
Main Authors: Zemni, I, Ben Nasrallah, C, Dhouib, W, Maatouk, A, Ben Hassine, D, Ben Fredj, M, Abroug, H, Kacem, M, Bouanene, I, Belguith Sriha, A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anosmia
Asymptomatic
Coronaviruses
Cough
COVID-19
Hazard assessment
Olfaction disorders
Patients
Poster Sessions
Public health
Recovery time
Regression analysis
Regression models
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Signs and symptoms
Viral diseases
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Summary:Background An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is becoming a public health emergency. Data are limited on the association between a prolonged viral shedding in patients with COVID-19 and having symptoms. We aimed to study the association between the presence of symptoms and recovery time of COVID-19 confirmed patients. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study of COVID-19 patients admitted to the designated national COVID-19 center in Monastir, Tunisia from March to July 2020. Kaplan-Meier survival curve and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess viral shedding in asymptomatic versus symptomatic patients with COVID-19. Results Among the 264 patients included in the study, symptoms such as anosmia, dry cough, and fatigue were reported by 34.4% (n = 75) of cases. The median time to RNA viral conversion was 24 days (IQR 18-36 days) for symptomatic patients versus 20 days (IQR 16-30 days) for asymptomatic patients. Having symptoms was significantly associated with a prolonged viral shedding (HR 0.600, 95% CI 0.401-0.897) (p = 0.013). Conclusions Our findings revealed that having symptoms delayed viral clearance among COVID-19 patients. Therefore, symptomatology should be taken into consideration in isolation strategy for infected patients. Key messages Having symptoms was associated with a delay in SARS-CoV-2 RNA clearance. The presence of symptoms should be taken into consideration for patient’s isolation strategy.
ISSN:1101-1262
1464-360X
DOI:10.1093/eurpub/ckab165.047