Changes in SARS-CoV-2 viral load and mortality during the initial wave of the pandemic in New York City.

ABSTRACT: Public health interventions such as social distancing and mask wearing decrease the incidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, but it is unclear whether they decrease the viral load of infected patients and whether changes in viral load impact mortality from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We evaluated 6923 patients with COVID-19 at six New York City hospitals from March 15-May 14, 2020, corresponding with the implementation of public health interventions in March. We assessed changes in cycle threshold (CT) values from reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction tests and in-hospital mortality and modeled the impact of viral load on mortality. Mean CT values increased between March and May, with the proportion of patients with high viral

SUBMITTER: Satlin MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8604305 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature