Persistence of positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction test result for 24 days in a hospitalized asymptomatic carrier

• Published in: Acute medicine & surgery Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. e525 - n/a
• Main Authors: Uechi, Takahiro, Nakamura, Shunsuke, Takeshita, Ryo, Morino, Kyoko, Mizuno, Ren, Nakagawa, Yuki, Irifukuhama, Yuna, Takada, Shiho, Teruya, Hideki, Mita, Naoto, Nakamori, Tomoki, Kinoshita, Hirohisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.01.2020; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Asymptomatic; Blood; Case Report; Case Reports; Coronavirus infection; Coronaviruses; COVID‐19; Disease transmission; Fever; Hospitals; Infections; Laboratories; pandemic; Patients; pneumonia; Polymerase chain reaction; Quarantine; reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; viral; Japan; viral; Coronavirus infection; COVID‐19; pneumonia; pandemic; reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction
• ISSN: 2052-8817; 2052-8817
• DOI: 10.1002/ams2.525

Background Several countries have imposed a mandatory 14‐day period of quarantine on individuals arriving from countries considered high‐risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection. However, it is not clear how long asymptomatic patients infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 can be an asymptomatic carrier. Case Presentation We experienced a case of an asymptomatic female patient infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 with abnormal chest computed tomography findings. She did not develop a fever during hospitalized isolation. She remained reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction‐positive for 24 days. Conclusion An asymptomatic patient diagnosed with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection remained reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction‐positive for 24 days, although she was quarantined in an isolation hospital. This finding suggests that an asymptomatic patient diagnosed with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection with abnormal chest computed tomography findings can be an asymptomatic carrier for more than 3 weeks. Is it enough for potential severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) carriers to be required to self‐quarantine for 14 days to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19)? In this case report, an asymptomatic female patient infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 who remained reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction‐positive for 24 days although she was quarantined in an isolation hospital. Asymptomatic patients diagnosed with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection can be an asymptomatic carrier for more than 3 weeks.