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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

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 September 2023

Ralph Tayyar Open the ORCID record for Ralph Tayyar [Opens in a new window] ,
Melanie A. Kiener Open the ORCID record for Melanie A. Kiener [Opens in a new window] ,
Jane W. Liang Open the ORCID record for Jane W. Liang [Opens in a new window] ,
Gustavo Contreras Open the ORCID record for Gustavo Contreras [Opens in a new window] ,
Guillermo Rodriguez-Nava Open the ORCID record for Guillermo Rodriguez-Nava [Opens in a new window] ,
Alex N. Zimmet Open the ORCID record for Alex N. Zimmet [Opens in a new window] ,
Caitlin A. Contag Open the ORCID record for Caitlin A. Contag [Opens in a new window] ,
Krithika Srinivasan ,
Karen McIntyre  and
Aruna Subramanian
...Show all authors
Ralph Tayyar
Affiliation:
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Melanie A. Kiener*
Affiliation:
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Jane W. Liang
Affiliation:
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Gustavo Contreras
Affiliation:
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Guillermo Rodriguez-Nava
Affiliation:
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Alex N. Zimmet
Affiliation:
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Caitlin A. Contag
Affiliation:
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Krithika Srinivasan
Affiliation:
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Karen McIntyre
Affiliation:
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Aruna Subramanian
Affiliation:
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
John Shepard
Affiliation:
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Lucy S. Tompkins
Affiliation:
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Benjamin A. Pinsky
Affiliation:
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Jorge L. Salinas
Affiliation:
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
*
Author for correspondence: Melanie A. Kiener, MD, Infectious Diseases–Stanford Medicine, 300 Pasteur Dr, L-134, Stanford, CA 94035. Email: Mkiener8@stanford.edu
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Abstract

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.

Type
Concise Communication
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 45 , Issue 2 , February 2024 , pp. 241 - 243
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

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Footnotes

a

Authors of equal contribution.

References

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