Is it enough for COVID-19 screening test? Limitation of swab test and general characteristics of mild symptom patients.
Sci Prog
; 104(2): 368504211026152, 2021.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34143699
ABSTRACT
The most common method for SARS-CoV-2 testing is throat or nasal swabbing by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. In South Korea, drive-through swab test is used for screening system and community treatment centers (CTCs), which admit and treat confirmed COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms, are being used. This retrospective study was conducted on patients admitted to a CTC on March 6, 2020. A total of 313 patients were admitted. The nasal and throat swabs were collected from the upper respiratory tract, and a sputum test was performed to obtain lower respiratory samples. The positive rate of the first set of test, sputum test was higher than that of the swab test (p = 0.011). In the second set of test, 1 week after the first ones, the rate of positive swab tests was relatively high (p = 0.026). In the first set of test, 66 of 152 (43.4%) patients showed 24-h consecutive negative swab test results, when the sputum test results were considered together, that number fell to 29 patients (19.1%) (p < 0.001). Also, in the second set of test, 63 of 164 (38.4%) patients met the discharge criteria only when the swab test was considered; that number fell to 30 (18.3%) when the sputum test results were also considered (p < 0.001). Using the swab test alone is insufficient for screening test and discharge decision. Patients who may have positive result in the sputum test can be missed.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Alta del Paciente
/
Manejo de Especímenes
/
Prueba de Ácido Nucleico para COVID-19
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
/
Screening_studies
Límite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Región como asunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Sci Prog
Año:
2021
Tipo del documento:
Article