Low infectivity among asymptomatic patients with a positive severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) admission test at a tertiary care center, 2020-2022.

Ralph Tayyar Melanie A Kiener Jane W Liang Gustavo Contreras Guillermo Rodriguez-Nava Alex N Zimmet Caitlin A ContagKrithika SrinivasanKaren McIntyreAruna SubramanianJohn ShepardLucy S Tompkins Benjamin A Pinsky Jorge L Salinas

Published in: Infection control and hospital epidemiology (2023)

We used a strand-specific RT-qPCR to evaluate viral replication as a surrogate for infectiousness among 242 asymptomatic inpatients with a positive severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) admission test. Only 21 patients (9%) had detectable SARS-CoV-2 minus-strand RNA. Because most patients were found to be noninfectious, our findings support the suspension of asymptomatic admission testing.

Keyphrases

sars cov
end stage renal disease
respiratory syndrome coronavirus
emergency department
chronic kidney disease
newly diagnosed
tertiary care
prognostic factors
patient reported outcomes
coronavirus disease
patient reported