tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Virol Methods
. 2021 Nov 29;114396.
doi: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2021.114396. Online ahead of print.
Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in combined nasal-and-throat swabs collected from COVID-19 individuals under the Universal Community Testing Programme in Hong Kong
Gannon C K Mak[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Anita Y Y Ng[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Edman T K Lam[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Rickjason C W Chan[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Dominic N C Tsang[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Combined nasal-and-throat swabs (CNTS) is less invasive and easy to execute. CNTS also induces lower risk to healthcare workers upon collection. However, there is a lack of data on viral load assessment for population-wide testing.
Objective: This study assessed if CNTS is suitable as an alternative specimen type for the detection of SARS-CoV-2.
Methods: We assessed the viral load of SARS-CoV-2 in CNTS collected from COVID-19 individuals through the 2-week period of the Universal Community Testing Programme (UCTP). In addition, we compared viral loads of SARS-CoV-2 for the paired CNTS and non-CNTS specimens among these individuals.
Results: This UCTP identified 48 COVID-19 individuals from nearly 2 million specimens collected. The viral loads of SARS-CoV-2 varied widely, cycle threshold values Ct 16.28 - 36.94, among symptoms and asymptomatic individuals. The viral loads for the paired CNTS and non-CNTS specimens were comparable.
Conclusions: This study demonstrated that CNTS could be a specimen of choice for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2.
Keywords: 2019 novel coronavirus; COVID-19; Combined nasal-and-throat swabs; RT-PCR; SARS-CoV-2; Universal Community Testing.
. 2021 Nov 29;114396.
doi: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2021.114396. Online ahead of print.
Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in combined nasal-and-throat swabs collected from COVID-19 individuals under the Universal Community Testing Programme in Hong Kong
Gannon C K Mak[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Anita Y Y Ng[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Edman T K Lam[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Rickjason C W Chan[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Dominic N C Tsang[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34856306
- DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2021.114396
Abstract
Background: Combined nasal-and-throat swabs (CNTS) is less invasive and easy to execute. CNTS also induces lower risk to healthcare workers upon collection. However, there is a lack of data on viral load assessment for population-wide testing.
Objective: This study assessed if CNTS is suitable as an alternative specimen type for the detection of SARS-CoV-2.
Methods: We assessed the viral load of SARS-CoV-2 in CNTS collected from COVID-19 individuals through the 2-week period of the Universal Community Testing Programme (UCTP). In addition, we compared viral loads of SARS-CoV-2 for the paired CNTS and non-CNTS specimens among these individuals.
Results: This UCTP identified 48 COVID-19 individuals from nearly 2 million specimens collected. The viral loads of SARS-CoV-2 varied widely, cycle threshold values Ct 16.28 - 36.94, among symptoms and asymptomatic individuals. The viral loads for the paired CNTS and non-CNTS specimens were comparable.
Conclusions: This study demonstrated that CNTS could be a specimen of choice for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2.
Keywords: 2019 novel coronavirus; COVID-19; Combined nasal-and-throat swabs; RT-PCR; SARS-CoV-2; Universal Community Testing.