Incidence, clinical course and risk factor for recurrent PCR positivity in discharged COVID-19 patients in Guangzhou, China: A prospective cohort study.

The phenomenon of COVID-19 patients tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after discharge (redetectable as positive, RP) emerged globally. The data of incidence rate and risk factors for RP event and the clinical features of RP patients may provide recommendations for virus containment and cases management for COVID-19. We prospectively collected and analyzed the epidemiological, clinical and virological data from 285 adult patients with COVID-19 and acquired their definite clinical outcome (getting PCR positive or not during post-discharge surveillance). By March 10, 27 (9.5%) discharged patients had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in their nasopharyngeal swab after a median duration of 7·0 days (IQR 5·0–8·0). Compared to first admission, RP patients generally had milder clinical symptoms, lower viral load, shorter length of stay and improved pulmonary conditions at readmission (p<0.05). Elder RP patients (≥ 60 years old) were more likely to be symptomatic compared to younger patients (7/8, 87.5% vs. 3/19, 18.8%, p = 0.001) at readmission. Age, sex, epidemiological history, clinical symptoms and underlying diseases were similar between RP and non-RP patients (p>0.05). A prolonged duration of viral shedding (>10 days) during the first hospitalization [adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 5.82, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.50–13.57 for N gene; aOR: 9.64, 95% CI: 3.91–23.73 for ORF gene] and higher Ct value (ORF) in the third week of the first hospitalization (aOR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.50–0.95) were associated with RP events. In conclusion, RP events occurred in nearly 10% of COVID-19 patients shortly after the negative tests, were not associated with worsening symptoms and unlikely reflect reinfection. Patients' lack of efficiency in virus clearance was a risk factor for RP result. It is noteworthy that elder RP patients (≥ 60 years old) were more susceptible to clinical symptoms at readmission. Author summary: The baseline enrolled 285 patients admitted to Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital (Guangzhou, Guangdong) with a diagnosis of COVID-19. We reported the epidemiology, clinical laboratory, radiological characteristics, virological results, treatment, and definite outcomes (getting PCR retested positive (RP) or not during post-discharge surveillance) of the cases. RP events occurred in nearly 10% of cases, were not associated with worsening symptoms and unlikely reflect reinfection. The lack of efficiency in virus clearance was a risk factor for RP result. Elder RP patients (≥ 60 years old) were more susceptible to clinical symptom at readmission. In the context of numerous COVID-19 cases showed SARS-CoV-2 positive again after discharged, the data in China may provide recommendations for post-discharge management, especially for other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]