Dr Gernot Walder Medical Laboratory, Außervillgraten, Austria
Dr Gernot Walder Medical Laboratory, Außervillgraten, Austria.
Clin Med (Lond). 2021 Jan;21(1):e9-e13. doi: 10.7861/clinmed.2020-0787.
A cohort of the first 50 COVID-19 patients in East Tyrol, a region in the southwest of Austria, were monitored in home quarantine. Specific viral ribonucleic acid was detected in throat swabs and stool samples. Analysis indicated a median virus shedding duration of 13 days; however, statistical outliers highlight the importance of consequent testing. This underlines the need of negative throat swabs prior to removing quarantine. We monitored the disease's characteristics via an in-house score called Corona Severity Index, in order to predict an aggravation of the disease. Special attention was paid to early symptoms, such as headache, which appeared to be significantly more common in younger patients (p=0.019). Anosmia and ageusia showed a predominance in female patients (p=0.028). Investigation revealed seven relapses and viral shedding fluctuation in four cases. A follow-up examination shed light on seroconversion which could be observed in 35 of 40 participants. This further clarifies the necessity of establishing discharge standards and follow-up management for COVID-19 patients.
东蒂罗尔是奥地利西南部的一个地区，对该地区的前 50 名 COVID-19 患者进行了家庭隔离监测。在咽拭子和粪便样本中检测到特定的病毒核糖核酸。分析表明病毒排出的中位数持续时间为 13 天；然而，统计异常值突出了后续检测的重要性。这强调了在解除隔离之前需要进行阴性咽拭子检测。我们通过内部称为“Corona Severity Index”的评分来监测疾病的特征，以预测疾病的恶化。特别关注早期症状，如头痛，年轻患者中出现的频率明显更高（p=0.019）。嗅觉丧失和味觉丧失在女性患者中更为常见（p=0.028）。研究发现 7 例复发和 4 例病毒脱落波动。后续检查发现，40 名参与者中有 35 名出现了血清转换。这进一步阐明了为 COVID-19 患者制定出院标准和后续管理的必要性。
