If you test too early, you may be more likely to get an inaccurate result. The authors declare that they have no competing interests. In our follow study, the recovered COVID-19 patients experienced two 14-days isolation periods, and the chance of viral exposure was quite low. Read about more COVID-19 research at Whitehead Institute here. Yahav D, Yelin D, Eckerle I, Eberhardt CS, Wang J, Cao B, et al. At this point, we can only speculate, says Jaenisch. 2020;0. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2020.11.028. To investigate whether re-positive cases can cause new infections in others, we investigated the PCR results of individuals who had close contact with re-positive cases. This Viewpoint discusses challenges to managing a COVID-19 outbreak in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), reviewing how absence of testing, critical care capacity, climate, war, distrust, and large refugee populations could complicate implementation of proven infection prevention and control measures. The number of patients reported to have a re-positive test is small, and the duration of follow-up has been short. Understanding the epidemiological characteristics of recovered COVID-19 patients with a re-positive PCR test is vital for preventing a second wave of COVID-19. The sampler then immerses the swabs in sterile saline (virus preservation solution is not allowed so as to avoid antibiotic allergies) and holds the persons head up slightly. The data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article. wrote the manuscript. Taken together, we believe that the re-positive tests resulted from viral shedding of non-viable viral fragments, and not re-infection. For further information about the data, please contact Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention. GiacomoGrasselli,MD; AntonioPesenti,MD; MaurizioCecconi,MD, Managing COVID-19 in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Correspondence to This Viewpoint summarizes key epidemiologic and clinical findings from all cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reported through February 11, 2020, in mainland China, and case trends in response to government attempts to control and contain the infection. From Containment to Mitigation of COVID-19 in the US. Chest CT for typical 2019-nCoV pneumonia: relationship to negative RT-PCR testing. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics. Overall, 56.12% of the re-positive cases were women. C, PubMed Qiao X-M, Xu X-F, Zi H, Liu G-X, Li B-H, Du X, et al. 2020;7:349. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2020.00349. Recurrence of positive SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in recovered COVID-19 patients during medical isolation observation. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. David L.Swerdlow,MD; LynFinelli,DrPH, MS, US Emergency Legal Responses to Novel CoronavirusBalancing Public Health and Civil Liberties. 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Usually, you can expect to test positive on an antigen or rapid test for up to 10 days. Blue represents DNA, green shows the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein, and red represents double-stranded RNA, which occurs when the virus replicates its genome. CAS This Viewpoint discusses the 2 most common categories of testing to diagnose SARS-CoV-2real-time PCR to identify viral RNA and serological diagnosis of IgG and IgM antibodies to assess immune responseand estimates time intervals for test positivity by specimen source to help clinicians interpret results relative to symptom onset. Zengmiao Wang or Zhenyu He. Amesh A.Adalja,MD; EricToner,MD; Thomas V.Inglesby,MD, Epidemiologic Features and Clinical Course of Patients Infected With SARS-CoV-2 in Singapore, This case series describes the epidemiologic features, clinical presentation, treatment, and outcomes of the first 18 patients with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Singapore, Barnaby EdwardYoung,MB, BChir; Sean Wei XiangOng,MBBS; ShirinKalimuddin,MPH; Jenny G.Low,MPH; Seow YenTan,MBBS; JiashenLoh,MBBS; Oon-TekNg,MPH; KalisvarMarimuthu,MBBS; Li WeiAng,Msc; Tze MinnMak,PhD; Sok KiangLau,PhD; Danielle E.Anderson,PhD; Kian SingChan,MBBS; Thean YenTan,MBBCh; Tong YongNg,MBBS; LinCui,PhD; ZubaidahSaid,MSc; LalithaKurupatham,MPH; Mark I-ChengChen,PhD; MonicaChan,BMBS; ShawnVasoo,MBBS; Lin-FaWang,PhD; Boon HuanTan,PhD; Raymond Tzer PinLin,MBBS; Vernon Jian MingLee,PhD; Yee-SinLeo,MPH; David ChienLye,MBBS; for the Singapore 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak Research Team, Supporting the Health Care Workforce During the COVID-19 Global Epidemic. The sampled person first gargles with normal saline. JAMA. Author Contributions: Drs H. Xu and Li had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. With the help of Jaenisch lab postdoc Alexsia Richards, the researchers infected human cells with coronavirus in the lab and then sequenced the DNA from infected cells two days later to see whether it contained traces of the virus genetic material. NandiniSethuraman,MD; Sundararaj StanleyrajJeremiah,MD; AkihideRyo,MD, PhD, Change in Saliva RT-PCR Sensitivity Over the Course of SARS-CoV-2 Infection. All rights reserved, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Family Searching for Missing MMA Fighter Last Seen in Schaumburg, 2 Injured When Fire Erupts at Senior High-Rise Building in Wrigleyville, How Much Could You Get in New $725M Facebook Settlement? When to Get Tested for COVID-19 Key times to get tested: If you have symptoms, test immediately. "They keep picking up dead virus in your nose for sometimes for weeks, but you can't grow that virus in the lab. Some of these key criteria and how they relate to our findings are as follows. Gao Z, Xu Y, Guo Y, Xu D, Zhang L, Wang X, et al. After recovery, patients and their families were contacted directly, and patients were asked to visit the hospital to collect throat swabs for the RT-PCR tests. Level Contributor 5,080 posts 2 reviews "If you had an exposure, you're vaccinated and boosted, I don't think that there is any need to be testing, frankly, past about seven days," she said. DeChang,MD, PhD; MingguiLin,MD; LaiWei,MD; LixinXie,MD; GuangfaZhu,MD; Charles S.Dela Cruz,MD, PhD; LokeshSharma,PhD, 2019 Novel CoronavirusImportant Information for Clinicians. Arwady said testing is likely not necessary after seven days following exposure for those who are vaccinated and boosted. This JAMA Insights article reviews care for the most severely ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including standards of management of ARDS, preventing SARS-CoV-2 spread in health care settings, and surge preparation. All statistical analyses were performed using R version 3.4.11 (www.r-project.org). Report inappropriate content majordom2000 London, United. Clin Microbiol Infect. JF-W, Yuan How long do you test positive after having had COVID-19? Because the rapid antigen test is the one that will look to seedo you have a high enough COVID level that you are potentially infectious? Clin Microbiol Infect. "Reverse-transcribed SARS-CoV-2 RNA can integrate into the genome of cultured human cells and can be expressed in patient-derived tissues." Another test called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), performed in a lab, detects the genetic material of the virus and is often used to confirm a positive antigen test result. 2023 American Medical Association. Nevertheless, most of these cases apparently did not cause others to become infected after discharge from the hospital. Re-positive coronavirus disease 2019 PCR test: could it be a reinfection? H.T. The sampler then wipes on the upper and lower walls of the pharynxes for at least three times and dips the swab in a tube containing 23ml of storage solution (isotonic saline solution, tissue culture solution, or phosphate buffer solution). Concept and design: Lan, D. Xu, Xia, Wang, H. Xu. CAS Also, RNAs generally have a short life most only stick around for a few minutes so it was unlikely for positive tests to be the result of residual RNAs. A PCR test might say you're positive for coronavirus for three or four weeks after you've recovered because it's still "picking up past infection and the small fragments (of the virus) are. Additional testing beyond PCR: Cookies policy. They also hope to investigate whether these integrated sections of DNA could be partly to blame for some of the long-term autoimmune consequences that some COVID-19 patients experience. B, Hu On the basis of the study by Jing Lu et al [12], the prevalence of re-positive cases in the discharged patients is 14%. The RT-PCR tests were performed on throat swabs following a previously described method.1 The RT-PCR test kits (BioGerm) were recommended by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. D, Hu Phone: 617-452-4630 The multivariable and univariable logistic regression model was used to determine the associated factors. After being discharged from the hospital, patients in Wuhan continued to isolate in a rehabilitation center for 14days and at home for another 14days to prevent reinfection. 2020;59:102960. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2020.102960. (3) Culturing virus from multiple specimen types. Homepage tests and antibody tests are not accepted. Reinfection has been reported <2 months after a first episode of infection. Osman AA, Al Daajani MM, Alsahafi AJ. The median time from hospital discharge to the re-positive test was 11.00days (IQR, 9.00 to 17.00). This study was approved by the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University institutional review board and the need for informed consent was waived. Z, Zhao and Z.W conducted the analyses. After hospital discharge, the patients continued to be in isolation for 14days at a rehabilitation center, with health monitoring. Isolate for at least 5 full days after symptom onset and until fever free for at least 24 hours. This single-center case series describes the demographics, symptoms, laboratory and imaging findings, treatment, and clinical course of 138 patients hospitalized with 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)infected pneumonia (NCIP) in Wuhan, China, highlighting presumed human-to-human hospital-associated transmission in many cases. Biochem Med. The false-positive cases had a small effect on the re-positivity rate. T, Sun "If you want to be extra careful, you can do it at 10, but just with what we're seeing, I would consider you really in the clear. In our study, 20,280 COVID-19 patients and 4079 close contacts were collected from December 31, 2019, and August 4, 2020, in Wuhan. Post-lockdown SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid screening in nearly ten million residents of Wuhan, China. But one thing we do think we can explain is why some patients are long-term PCR positive.. The demographic and epidemiological characteristics of these patients were similar to those who did not have a re-positive test (Table 1). All patients had 3 repeat RT-PCR tests performed over the next 4 to 5 days and all were positive. Article ZJ. C. JasonWang,MD, PhD; Chun Y.Ng,MBA, MPH; Robert H.Brook,MD, ScD, Priorities for the US Health Community Responding to COVID-19. If you test positive for COVID-19 using a polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, test, follow these guidelines, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, to determine what you need to do: Isolate for at least five days. 2023 American Medical Association. Get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. PubMed Central Most people who contract COVID-19 likely won't experience symptoms for more than two weeks at most, but could test positive months following infection. Using these summarized statistics, we evaluated the effects of false positives and false negatives. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. 5 Communications and Public Affairs 2020;323:15023. Now, a new paper from the lab of Whitehead Institute Member and MIT professor of biology Rudolf Jaenisch may offer an answer to why some patients continue to test positive after recovery from COVID-19. Although people can catch COVID-19 for a second time, this did not appear to be the case for these patients; no live viruses were isolated from their samples, and some studies found these false positive results even while holding participants in quarantine. This Viewpoint discusses the potential role of ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) in the management of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and cautions about the risk of overuse and the shortage of ECMO capability given the numbers of people infected if the technology is not appropriately utilized. Due to privacy concerns, data cannot be made openly available. It is then slowly removed, and the swab tip is dipped into a tube containing 23ml of virus preservation solution (isotonic saline solution, tissue culture solution, or phosphate buffer). F, Ye In the future, Jaenisch and Zhang plan to investigate whether the fragments of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material could be made into proteins by the cell. A total of 1265 patients tested positive after they returned home, and 4079 individuals had close contact with them. This Viewpoint discusses the preparedness plans that need to be implemented in the US to combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the cause of COVID-19 disease), including shoring up resources in hospitals and clinics, updating of triage and isolation protocols, expanding PCR manufacturing and patient testing, and communicating to the public with unified public health messages. 2020;37:100748. Rudolf Jaenischs lab studies the genetic and epigenetic basis of diseases such as Parkinsons, Alzheimers, autism and cancer. Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported. The time from symptom onset to recovery ranged from 12 to 32 days. Testing was organized by the local community. Privacy The median hospital stay for recovered COVID-19 patients without a re-positive PCR test was 15.71days (IQR, 9.83 to 23.21), and the median hospital stay for the original infection in the re-positive cases was 18.54days (IQR, 11.96 to 27.04). This retrospective study in Wuhan clarifies the basic characteristics of recovered COVID-19 patients with a re-positive PCR test. SARS-CoV-2 is not a retrovirus, which means it doesn't need reverse transcription for its replication, says Whitehead Institute postdoc and first author Liguo Zhang. ZunyouWu,MD, PhD; Jennifer M.McGoogan,PhD, Editorial ConcernPossible Reporting of the Same Patients With COVID-19 in Different Reports, HowardBauchner,MD; Robert M.Golub,MD; JodyZylke,MD, Presumed Asymptomatic Carrier Transmission of COVID-19. Carlosdel Rio,MD; Preeti N.Malani,MD, MSJ, Preparation for Possible Sustained Transmission of 2019 Novel Coronavirus. X.W., F.H., Y.L., H.T, Z.H., and H.W. Individuals who had close contact with the patient were quarantined in the isolation center and were tested on the 1st2nd day after entering quarantine and again on the 10th14th day. If you're not vaccinated or boosted, I certainly have a much higher concern that you could get infected. Here, the information from 118 hospitals in Wuhan on COVID-19 patients who had a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test between December 31, 2019, and August 4, 2020, was collected from the surveillance network of Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Supplementary Table1 for the names of hospitals) and performed a retrospective analysis to ascertain the epidemiological and clinical features of those with a re-positive test. When it comes to testing, the PCR tests are more likely to continue picking up the virus following infection. We considered three factors in the model: sex, age, and hospital stay for the original infection. Further studies should follow up patients who are not health care professionals and who have more severe infection after hospital discharge or discontinuation of quarantine. Positive: Ct value <37. An investigation of the approximate 1 in 5 patients at a clinic who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 after being discharged in apparent recovery and with negative test results revealed few actually carried replicating virus, according to a research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine. CAS Preliminary data from scientists at Harvard and MIT shows that about 25% of symptomatic people with COVID-19 had virus that could be cultured after eight days after symptom onset or their first. This Viewpoint discusses the policy and legal ramifications of the national public health emergency declared by the US government in response the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, and examines the lawfulness of quarantine and other compulsory measures. The time from symptom onset to recovery ranged from 12 to 32 days. Springer Nature. statement and To ensure that their results could be confirmed with different methodology, they used three different DNA sequencing techniques. The last one reported 479 recovered COVID-19 patients and 96 close contacts from February 1 to May 5, 2020 [10]. Two were male and the age range was 30 to 36 years. , Chan According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some people who contract COVID-19 can have detectable virus for up to three months, but that doesn't mean they are contagious. In this retrospective analysis, culturing results were obtained for more than 300 recovered COVID-19 patients with a re-positive PCR test and no viable virus was obtained. Y.L. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Understanding the epidemiological characteristics of recovered COVID-19 patients who have a re-positive test is vital for . Sci Rep. 2020;10:11887. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-68782-w. Yang C, Jiang M, Wang X, Tang X, Fang S, Li H, et al. Alexandra L.Phelan,SJD, LLM; RebeccaKatz,PhD, MPH; Lawrence O.Gostin,JD, Discussing the ABCs of Health SecurityAntibiotic Resistance, Biothreats, and Coronavirus. A systematic review of re-detectable positive virus nucleic acid among COVID-19 patients in recovery phase. New research reveals why some patients may test positive for COVID-19 long after recovery. C, Wang But if you have taken one at five and it's negative and you're feeling good, chances are very good that you're not going to have any more issues there," she said. A familial cluster of pneumonia associated with the 2019 novel coronavirus indicating person-to-person transmission: a study of a family cluster. Diagnosis and treatment of 2019-nCoV pneumonia in China. If you had symptoms, the CDC says you can be around others after you isolate five days and stop exhibiting symptoms. "If you did want to get a test on please don't get a PCR. It can cause muscle and joint pain, and flu-like symptoms. This Viewpoint describes the organization of a regional ICU network in Lombardy, Italy, to handle the surge in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) who require intensive care and uses demand experience in the first 2 weeks of the outbreak to estimate resources required in coming weeks. With a PCR, you can continue to test positive for weeks or even months after an antigen test delivers a negative result. An image of lung cancer cells infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. PNAS, May 6, 2020. Here's What We Know So Far, Exclusive: Trinity Fatu, Formerly WWE's Naomi, Talks Making Surprise Return with IMPACT Wrestling in Chicago, This 28-Year-Old Pays $62 a Month to Live in a Dumpster He Built for $5,000Take a Look Inside, 25-Year-Old Makes $200/Hour Without a Bachelor's Degree: I Work Less Than 6 Hours a Day'. K-H, The sampler gently holds the persons head with one hand, with the swab in the other, and slowly inserts the swab via the nostril so that it is deep, along the bottom of the lower nasal canal. Negative: no Ct value or Ct value 40. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcla.23392. FIND evaluation update: SARS-CoV-2 molecular diagnostics - FIND. In total, 20,280 patients were included in the retrospective analysis. Around eight percent of our DNA consists of the remnants of ancient viruses. This study characterizes the demographic, epidemiologic, and clinical characteristics of hospitalized infants diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 infection between December 8, 2019, and February 6, 2020, in China. As part of the recovery certificate process, you undergo a medical evaluation to show that you have recovered and no longer present a risk of infecting others. Previous studies showed that recovered coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients can have a subsequent positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) after they are discharged from the hospital. Article ZionCongrave-Wilson,MS; YesunLee,PhD; JayceeJumarang,MD; StephaniePerez,BS; Jeffrey M.Bender,MD; Jennifer DienBard,PhD; Pia S.Pannaraj,MD, MPH, To register for email alerts, access free PDF, and more, Get unlimited access and a printable PDF ($40.00), 2023 American Medical Association. It's been seen before that the remnants of the virus are detected but not the live, infectious virus . These findings suggest that at least a proportion of recovered patients still may be virus carriers. The primers and probes used targeted the ORF1ab and N gene regions of SARS-CoV-2. A fluid sample is collected with a nasal swab or a throat swab, or you may spit into a tube to produce a saliva sample. Lawrence O.Gostin,JD; James G.HodgeJr,JD, LLM, Novel Coronavirus Infection in Hospitalized Infants Under 1 Year of Age in China. Background Previous studies showed that recovered coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients can have a subsequent positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) after they are discharged from the hospital. ", The CDC notes that tests "are best used early in the course of illness to diagnose COVID-19 and are not authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to evaluate duration of infectiousness.". Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Wei DH, Nian CJ, Bin PX, Ling CX, Yixian-Zhang, Fang FS, et al. When it comes to testing, the PCR tests are more likely to continue picking up the virus following infection. Rate of re-positive RT-PCR test among patients recovered from COVID-19. "PCR test can stay positive for a long time," Chicago Department of Public. Drafting of the manuscript: Lan, D. Xu, Ye, H. Xu. The RT-PCR test results for 4079 individuals who had close contact with the re-positive cases were also obtained. Published Online: February 27, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.2783. However, there are reports that recovered COVID-19 patients can have a re-positive PCR test, i.e., they test positive for the virus again after two negative PCR results [2,3,4]. Ann Transl Med. In total, 2466 (12.16%) of the 20,280 patients had a re-positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test after they were discharged from the hospital, and 4079 individuals had close contact with members of this patient group. All authors read and approved the manuscript. Customize your JAMA Network experience by selecting one or more topics from the list below. Zhu H, Fu L, Jin Y, Shao J, Zhang S, Zheng N, et al. The estimated number of false-positive cases in these 1265 patients is 89.5 (174.4/2466*1265). This case series describes reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results in 4 health professionals discharged from hospitalization or quarantine after 2 negative RT-PCR test results and resolution of clinical COVID-19 infection. After hospital discharge or discontinuation of quarantine, the patients were asked to continue the quarantine protocol at home for 5 days. Positive RT-PCR test results in patients recovered from COVID-19. Cite this article. Yes, you can test positive for COVID-19 on PCR tests for up to 12 weeks after infection The CDC director made the claim while explaining why there isn't a negative test recommendation for people ending their isolation. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Lan L, Xu D, Ye G, et al. Google Scholar. Instead of simply tallying transcripts that contained viral material, the researchers looked at which direction the transcripts had been read. A previous study of 87 re-positive cases showed that no infectious virus could be obtained by culturing, and no full-length viral genomes could be sequenced [12]. Y, Fu Positive RT-PCR Test Results in Patients Recovered From COVID-19 JAMA. New research from Whitehead Institute Founding Member Rudolf Jaenischs lab adds evidence to their finding that SARS-CoV-2 can integrate into the human genome, but finds that a model of the mRNA vaccine does not integrate. The percentage varied from sample to sample, but for some, a relatively large fraction of viral transcripts seem to have been transcribed from viral genetic material integrated into the genome. Gray zone: Ct value between 37 and 40; in these cases, a repeat test was recommended. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data. Some viruses, called retroviruses, rely on integration into human DNA in order to replicate themselves. To screen for viral integration outside of the lab, the researchers analyzed published datasets of RNA transcripts from different types of samples, including COVID-19 patient samples. Cevik M, Bamford CGG, Ho A. COVID-19 pandemica focused review for clinicians. YanBai,MD; LingshengYao,MD; TaoWei,MD; FeiTian,MD; Dong-YanJin,PhD; LijuanChen,PhD; MeiyunWang,MD, PhD, COVID-19New Insights on a Rapidly Changing Epidemic. The same technician and brand of test kit was used for all RT-PCR testing reported; both internal controls and negative controls were routinely performed with each batch of tests. Password recovery. Four patients with COVID-19 who met criteria for hospital discharge or discontinuation of quarantine in China (absence of clinical symptoms and radiological abnormalities and 2 negative RT-PCR test results) had positive RT-PCR test results 5 to 13 days later. In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers analyzing test results began noticing something strange: patients who had already recovered from COVID-19 would sometimes inexplicably test positive on a PCR test weeks or even months later. This study describes results of PCR and viral RNA testing for SARS-CoV-2 in bronchoalveolar fluid, sputum, feces, blood, and urine specimens from patients with COVID-19 infection in China to identify possible means of non-respiratory transmission. 2020;368:63842. The patients were tested again 1month after hospital discharge, with retests every month thereafter. https://doi.org/10.1080/22221751.2020.1837018. (1) Results from investigations of possible exposure. All the following criteria5 had to be met for hospital discharge or discontinuation of quarantine: (1) normal temperature lasting longer than 3 days, (2) resolved respiratory symptoms, (3) substantially improved acute exudative lesions on chest computed tomography (CT) images, and (4) 2 consecutively negative RT-PCR test results separated by at least 1 day. With this in mind, Zhang and Jaenisch began to design experiments to test whether this viral integration could be happening with the novel coronavirus. If the viral reads were the result of live viruses or existing viral RNAs in the cell, the researchers would expect that most of the viral transcripts would have been read in the correct orientation for the sequences in question; in acutely infected cells in culture, more than 99 percent are in the correct orientation. Ye G, Pan Z, Pan Y, Deng Q, Chen L, Li J, et al. A previous draft of the paper with this finding was published online on the preprint server bioRxiv. This means that the test can continue to detect fragments of SARS-CoV-2 virus even after you've recovered from COVID-19 and are no longer contagious.
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