Delayed SARS-COV-2 clearance in infected persons in Ghana
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Date
2023
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ghana Medical Journal
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to determine the duration of SARS-CoV-2 clearance in persons in Ghana. The research
question was whether the duration of virus clearance in Ghana matched the 14 days recommended by the World Health
Organization (WHO); this had direct implications for transmission, which was key in managing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design: This was a retrospective analytical study.
Setting: All facilities that submitted clinical specimens to Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research
(NMIMR) for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis between March to June 2020 were included in the study.
Interventions: Samples from 480 persons who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR from March to June 2020
at NMIMR and submitted at least two follow-up samples were retrospectively analysed. Individuals with two consecutive negative RT-PCR retesting results were considered to have cleared SARS-CoV-2.
Results: The median time from the initial positive test to virus clearance was 20 days (IQR: 5-56 days). This was six
days longer than the WHO-recommended 14 days, after which infected persons could be de-isolated. Sputum and
nasopharyngeal swabs proved more sensitive for detecting viral RNA as the infection progressed. At a significance
level of 0.05, age and sex did not seem to influence the time to SARS-CoV-2 clearance.
Conclusions: The median time to SARS-CoV-2 clearance in this study was 20 days, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2
infected persons in Ghana take longer to clear the virus. This finding calls for further investigations into whether
patients who remain PCR positive continue to be infectious and inform isolation practices in Ghana.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Virus clearance, SARS-CoV-2, sputum