Abstract
ObjectivesIn this study, we aimed to study the clinical presentations, and viral clearance of SARS-COV-2 positive quarantined individuals.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingGovernmental- designated facility in the eastern province, Saudi Arabia.Participants128 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 quarantined individuals who had a history of travel abroad in the last 14 days before the quarantine or were in direct contact with laboratory-confirmed cases. The study was from March 18th-till April 16th.Primary and secondary measuresThe clinical presentation, prevalence of asymptomatic carriers among SARS-COV-2 positive quarantined subjects, and the difference between virus clearance among symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals.ResultsSixty-nine of the 128 residents (54%) were completely asymptomatic until the end of the study. The remaining 59 residents (46%) had only mild symptoms. The most common symptom was a sudden loss of smell and taste, accounting for 47.5%. The median time to virus clearance was significantly different between the two groups. Symptomatic residents cleared the virus at a median of 17 days (95% CI, 12.4–21.6) from the first positive PCR vs. 11days (95% CI, 8.7–13.3) in the asymptomatic group (P = 0.011). False-negative test results occurred in 18.8% of the total residents and false-positive results in 3%.ConclusionThe prevalence of asymptomatic carriers among quarantined travelers and those identified by contact tracing is high in our study. Therefore, testing, tracing, and isolating travelers and contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases, regardless of symptoms, were very effective measures for early disease identification and containment. Loss of taste and smell were the most common presentations in our mild symptomatic residents and should be used as a screening tool for COVID-19. The persistent positive PCR beyond 14 days observed in the mild symptomatic residents despite being symptoms free, warrant further studies to determine its implications on disease spread and control.
Highlights
A novel coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2), was first discovered on December 31st, 2019, in Wuhan City, China, after a cluster of atypical pneumonia was observed
The prevalence of asymptomatic carriers among quarantined travelers and those identified by contact tracing is high in our study
The persistent positive PCR beyond 14 days observed in the mild symptomatic residents despite being symptoms free, warrant further studies to determine its implications on disease spread and control
Summary
A novel coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2), was first discovered on December 31st, 2019, in Wuhan City, China, after a cluster of atypical pneumonia was observed. This infection was labeled as Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID 19) [1]. This has led to an outbreak of infection in China that spread globally over a few months and was declared a pandemic by the WHO on March 11th, 2020. Most reported cases are from outside China. Their study included 72, 314 subjects, and they described a mild disease course in about 80% of their cohort, severe disease in 14%, critical in 5%, and asymptomatic in only 1.2% [2]
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