Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology
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A novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in China in late 2019 and subsequently caused a pandemic. Surveillance is important to better appreciate this evolving pandemic and to longitudinally monitor the effectiveness of public health measures. ⋯ Our approach of a laboratory-based surveillance for SARSCoV-2 using minipools proved its concept is easily adaptable and resource-saving. It might assist not only public health laboratories in SARS-CoV-2 surveillance.
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Since December 2019, a new outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan (Hubei, China) and rapidly spread throughout China, however, confirmed cases are still increasing worldwide. ⋯ Of the 10 cases, case A had a history of a temporary stay in Wuhan and transmitted the virus to the others through family gathering, living together, and sharing vehicles. The average age was 56.5 years (± 11.16), six patients were males, and the incubation period was 2-14 days. Dry cough was the main symptom, followed by fever and fatigue. Most patients were clinically classified as ordinary-type, with three cases being severe-type. Chest computed tomography results were nonspecific, mainly with ground-glass attenuation and/or shadow images. Extensive lesion distribution was seen in severe cases. CD4+ lymphocyte counts were 61, 180, and 348 cells/uL in severe-type patients, respectively. Notably, viral nucleic acid values in nasopharyngeal swabs were lower (19, 25, and 26) than those of ordinary-type patients, suggesting a higher viral load. Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was also higher in severe-type patients CONCLUSIONS: Initial examination results of lower CD4+ lymphocyte counts and RT-PCR-CT values coupled with higher NLR may indicate the severity of COVID-19 infection for these family clusters.
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The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China in December 2019, caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). There is a need to study the clinical features of patients in a hospital near Wuhan. ⋯ Clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients in the tertiary hospital near Wuhan are very similar to those found in Wuhan, but the lower mortality.
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Comparative Study
Interpret with caution: An evaluation of the commercial AusDiagnostics versus in-house developed assays for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus.
There is limited data on the analytical performance of commercial nucleic acid tests (NATs) for laboratory confirmation of COVID-19 infection. ⋯ The AusDiagnostics assay is not specific for the detection SARS-CoV-2. Any positive results should be confirmed using another NAT or sequencing. The case definition used to investigate persons with suspected COVID-19 infection is not specific.
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The outbreak of a new coronavirus, first reported in Wuhan, China, is spreading around the world. Information on the characteristics of children with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is limited. ⋯ Our findings indicate that intrafamily transmission may be the main form of transmission of COVID-19 in children, and persistent intestinal excretion of virus is another characteristic among children. The results of stool swab tests should be considered for discharge and release from isolation.