Analysis of Follow-up Real-Time RT-PCR Results from SARS-CoV-2-Positive Patients

pitalized patients were not clear, leading to many patients remaining hospitalized until their real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR; hereinafter referred to as PCR) tests returned negative results.The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) PCR test is crucial for diagnosing COVID-19 [1, 2], monitoring the disease progression [3, 4], and determining whether hospitalized patients can be discharged [5, 6].However, interpreting the PCR result can be more challenging during follow-up than at the time of diagnosis.During the initial diagnosis, a large amount of virus particles is present in the test specimen, making it easy to determine positive or negative results.However, during follow-up testing, especially at the time of discharge, the virus concentration is low, rendering interpretation of the results difficult.