According to a new study titled ‘Time Kinetics of Viral Clearance and Resolution of Symptoms in Novel Coronavirus Infection’ Coronavirus patients can remain infectious even after recovering from the affliction.
Published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the study reveals that recovered patients carry the Coronavirus up to 8 days after their symptoms alleviate completely.
During the study, researchers have studied 16 mild cases of Coronavirus admitted to the Treatment Center of PLA General Hospital in Beijing between 28 Jan and 9 Feb.
The study shows that recovered patients still carried the Coronavirus for 60 hours on average. Some cases carried the virus up to 8 days.
One of the co-authors of the study, Dr. Lokesh Sharma of the Yale School of Medicine, states:
The most significant finding from our study is that half of the patients kept shedding the virus even after the resolution of their symptoms.
Dr. Lixin Xie, another co-author of the study, recommends:
If you had mild symptoms of COVID-19, extend your quarantine for another two weeks after recovery to ensure that you don’t infect other people.
The researchers have acknowledged the limited scope of the study. But, they have cautioned healthcare authorities worldwide to ensure recovered patients do not spread the disease.
This information can provide a useful tool for clinicians and policymakers to ensure that recovered patients do not spread the virus.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also encourages people with Coronavirus symptoms to isolate themselves for at least 72 hours more after testing negative for the virus.
Via: New York Post
