Coronavirus patients could still be infectious for up to eight days after they’ve appeared to recover, a new study says.
The small study,
which was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical
Care Medicine, determined that half of patients were still carriers of
the virus even after symptoms resolved.
Researchers looked at 16 patients with mild cases who were admitted
to the Treatment Center of PLA General Hospital in Beijing between Jan.
28 and Feb. 9.
“The most significant finding from our study is that half of the
patients kept shedding the virus even after resolution of their
symptoms,” co-author Dr. Lokesh Sharma from the Yale School of Medicine
said in a statement.
On average, the patients still had the virus two-and-a-half days
after no longer experiencing symptoms — but individual cases ranged up
to eight days, the study said.
Researchers cited other studies in the report that found those
carrying the virus could still be contagious to others. Given these
findings, they warned that patients who have appeared to recover could
spread the disease.
“This information can provide useful tool for clinicians and
policymakers to ensure that recovered patients do not spread the virus,”
researchers said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
currently recommends that people with symptoms associated with
coronavirus self-isolate for at least three days after the “resolution
of a fever without fever-reducing medications.”
“If you had mild respiratory symptoms from COVID-19 and were staying
at home so as not to infect people, extend your quarantine for another
two weeks after recovery to ensure that you don’t infect other people,”
said co-author Dr. Lixin Xie of the Chinese PLA General Hospital in a
statement.
The researchers, however, noted that more studies were necessary
since the report was limited in scope. It’s unclear whether the same
results would be found with an older group or among those with
compromised immune systems.
https://nypost.com/2020/03/30/coronavirus-patients-could-still-be-contagious-after-symptoms-resolve-study/
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