Chinese Researchers Say COVID-19 Shedding Takes 20 Days... Need to Extend Quarantine Period

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] A study has found that it takes 20 days for the novel coronavirus to be expelled from the body. There are also reports that samples from the nose tested negative while those from the rectum tested positive.

According to the Hong Kong media South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 20th, researchers including Chao Bin, an expert affiliated with the Chinese National Health Commission, published these findings in the medical journal The Lancet.

The researchers reported that the median time for discharged patients to expel the virus from their bodies was 20 days. In some cases, the virus disappeared as quickly as 8 days, but in longer cases, it remained for about 37 days.

In an interview with Caixin, Chao Bin stated, "The 20-day period completely overturns previous expectations regarding virus shedding in acute respiratory viral infections," adding, "There is a need to extend antiviral treatment and isolation periods."

Additionally, according to researchers in Guangzhou, China, there have been cases where respiratory samples taken from the nose tested negative, but digestive samples from the rectum tested positive. This pattern was observed in a study involving 10 pediatric patients aged between 2 months and 15 years.

The researchers noted, "For tests used to assess treatment effectiveness and determine the end of isolation, collecting samples from the rectum may be more useful than from the nasopharynx."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.