Clinical course of 18 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Singapore.
The clinical course of 18 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Singapore. Heneghan C.
https://www.cebm.net/study/clinical-course-of-18-patients-infected-with-sars-cov-2-in-singapore/
Published on July 30, 2020
Included in
Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19
| Reference |
Young BE, Ong SWX, Kalimuddin S et al; Epidemiologic features and clinical course of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Singapore. JAMA. 2020;323(15):1488-1494. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.3204 |
| Study type |
|
| Country |
Singapore |
| Setting |
Hospital |
| Funding Details |
Singapore National Medical Research Council. The polymerase chain reaction work on nonrespiratory clinical samples was partially supported by grant (Combating the Next SARS-or MERS-Like Emerging Infectious Disease Outbreak by Improving Active Surveillance). |
| Transmission mode |
Orofecal |
| Exposures |
|
Bottom Line
SARS-CoV-2 Virus was detectable in the stool of 4 of 8 hospitalized patients.
Evidence Summary
In 18 hospitalized patients viral shedding from the nasopharynx was prolonged for 7 days or longer among in 15 (83%). Virus was detectable in the stool of 4 of 8 patients (50%) and blood in one of 12 (8%).
What did they do?
Descriptive case series of the first 18 patients diagnosed with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection at 4 hospitals in Singapore from January 23rd to February 3rd, 2020; final follow-up date was February 25th 2020.
Study reliability
A small case series of 18 patients. Sample collection in the early phase of the illness was limited; not all patients consented to sample collection, and baseline laboratory data were also not available for all patients. Cycle threshold values are a quantitative measure of viral load, but correlation with clinical progress and transmissibility is not yet known.
| Clearly defined setting |
Demographic characteristics described |
Follow-up length was sufficient |
Transmission outcomes assessed |
Main biases are taken into consideration |
|
Partly |
Partly |
Yes |
Yes
|
No |
What else should I consider?
About the authors
Carl Heneghan
Carl is Professor of EBM & Director of CEBM at the University of Oxford. He is also a GP and tweets @carlheneghan. He has an active interest in discovering the truth behind health research findings
