Association of SARS-CoV-2 viral load distributions with individual demographics and suspected variant type: results from the Liverpool community testing pilot, England, 6 November 2020 to 8 September 2021.

ABSTRACT: BackgroundThe PCR quantification cycle (C_q) is a proxy measure of the viral load of a SARS-CoV-2-infected individual.AimTo investigate if C_q values vary according to different population characteristics, in particular demographic ones, and within the COVID-19 pandemic context, notably the SARS-CoV-2 type/variant individuals get infected with.MethodsWe considered all positive PCR results from Cheshire and Merseyside, England, between 6 November 2020 and 8 September 2021. C_q distributions were inspected with Kernel density estimates. Multivariable quantile regression models assessed associations between people's features and C_q.ResultsWe report C_q values for 188,821 SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals. Median C_qs increased with de

SUBMITTER: Hughes DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9881177 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature