ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: RT-PCR is widely used as a diagnostic test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we aim to describe the clinical utility of serial PCR testing in the final detection of COVID-19. METHOD: We collected multiple nasopharyngeal swab samples from patients who had negative RT-PCR test on the first day after hospitalization. RT-PCR tests were performed on the second day for all patients with initial negative result. For the patients with secondary negative results on day 2, tertiary RT-PCR tests were performed on day 3 after hospitalization. RESULT: Among 68 patients with initial negative test results, at the end of follow-up, the mortality number was 20 (29.4%). About 33.8% of patients had subsequent positive PCR test results for the second time and 17.4% of the patients who performed third PCR test had positive result. CONCLUSION: Based on this study, serial RT-PCR testing is unlikely to yield additional information.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/diagnosis , Molecular Diagnostic Techniques , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , SARS-CoV-2/genetics , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , False Negative Reactions , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Molecular Diagnostic Techniques/methods , Molecular Diagnostic Techniques/standards , Molecular Diagnostic Techniques/statistics & numerical data , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction/standards , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction/statistics & numerical data , SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purificationABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been pandemic and has caused a great burden on almost all countries across the world. Different perspectives of this novel disease are poorly understood. This study sought to investigate the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 to efficiently assist the health system of Iran to conquer the outbreak. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective observational study was performed on 394 patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19. The patients should have a history of hospitalization at Loghman-Hakim hospital, Tehran, Iran, for 10 weeks, beginning from the first official report of the disease in Iran. In the subsequent step, the baseline demographic and clinical and paraclinical information of the patients was documented. Finally, the patients were assessed if they had exhibited any morbidity or mortality. RESULTS: The epidemiological examination of the COVID-19 population suggested a bell diagram pattern for the hospitalization rate, in which the 4th week of the study was the peak. The highest rate of secondary adverse events due to the virus was observed at the 6th and 7th weeks of the study course. On another note, clinical evaluations resulted in identifying specific abnormalities, such as bilateral opacity in chest computed tomography scans or low oxygen saturation in laboratory data. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence concerning the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 in the first phase of the virus outbreak in Iran. Further studies comparing the disease features in the subsequent phases with findings of this study can pave the way for additional information in this regard.
