Duration of SARS-CoV-2 shedding: A population-based, Canadian study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

There is an evidence gap regarding the duration of SARS-CoV-2 shedding and of its variability across different care settings and by age, sex, income, and co-morbidities. Such evidence is part of understanding of infectivity and reinfection. We examine direct measures of viral shedding using a linked population-based health administrative dataset.

Methods

Laboratory and sociodemographic databases for Ontario, Canada were linked to identify those testing positive (RT-PCR) between Jan. 15 and April 30, 2020 who underwent subsequent testing by May 31, 2020. To maximise use of available data, we computed two shedding duration estimates defined as the time between initial positive and most recent positive (documented shedding) or second of two negative tests (document

SUBMITTER: Phillips SP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8211234 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature