Open AccessSARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), viral load and clinical outcomes; lessons learned one year into the pandemic: A systematic review
Author(s) -
Santosh Shenoy
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
world journal of critical care medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2220-3141
DOI - 10.5492/wjccm.v10.i4.132
Subject(s) - viral load , medicine , pandemic , covid-19 , coronavirus , viral shedding , disease , severity of illness , intensive care unit , virology , immunology , virus , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections is diagnosed via real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and reported as a binary assessment of the test being positive or negative. High SARS-CoV-2 viral load is an independent predictor of disease severity and mortality. Quantitative RT-PCR may be useful in predicting the clinical course and prognosis of patients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).