Clinical features and dynamics of viral load in imported and non-imported patients with COVID-19.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To compare the clinical characteristics and the dynamics of viral load between the imported and non-imported patients with COVID-19. DESIGN AND METHODS: Data from 51 laboratory-confirmed patients were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The incubation period in the tertiary group was longer than that in the imported and secondary groups (both P < 0.05). Fever was the most common symptom at the onset of illness (73.33%, 58.82%, and 68.42%, respectively), and half of the patients had a low-grade temperature (<38.0℃) with a short duration of fever (<7 days). The CT scan showed that most patients had bilateral pneumonia in the three groups (80.00%, 76.47%, and 73.68%, respectively). Ct values detected from the tertiary patients were similar to those from the imported and secondary groups at the time of admission (both P > 0.05). For the tertiary group, the viral load was undetectable for half of the patients (52.63%) on day 7, and all patients on day 14. For 1/3rd of the patients in the imported and secondary groups, the viral load remained positive on day 14 after the admission. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 can present as pneumonia with less onset of symptoms, and the infectivity of SARS-CoV2 may gradually decrease in the tertiary patients.