Table 2.
Pattern of results of repeated RT-PCR tests with SARS-CoV-2.
| Total patients | Positive patients | |
|---|---|---|
| Repeated times of RT-PCR tests | ||
| 1 | 35/984 (3.6%) | 7/35 (20.0%) |
| 2 | 297/984 (30.2%) | 19/297 (6.4%) |
| 3 | 298/984 (30.3%) | 94/298 (31.5%) |
| 4 | 171/984 (17.4%) | 104/171 (60.8%) |
| 5 | 86/984 (8.7%) | 59/86 (68.6%) |
| 6 | 49/984 (5.0%) | 38/49 (77.6%) |
| 7 | 27/984 (2.7%) | 20/27 (74.1%) |
| 8 | 9/984 (0.9%) | 9/9 (100.0%) |
| 9 | 7/984 (0.7%) | 7/7 (100.0%) |
| 10 | 2/984 (0.2%) | 2/2 (100.0%) |
| 11 | 2/984 (0.2%) | 2/2 (100.0%) |
| 14 | 1/984 (0.1%) | 1/1 (100.0%) |
| After consecutive negative tests* | ||
| After 1 negative test | 324/362 (90%) | 152/324 (47%) |
| After 2 negative tests | 147/362 (41%) | 38/147 (26%) |
| After 3 negative tests | 43/362 (12%) | 10/43 (23%) |
| After 4 negative tests | 17/362 (5%) | 4/17 (24%) |
| After 5 negative tests | 3/362 (1%) | 0 |
Data are n/N (%), where N is the total number of patients with available data. The median time interval between 2 consecutive tests was 3 days (IQR 2.0–5.0).
RT-PCR = real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, SARS-CoV-2 = 2019 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
*
This part shows the results after consecutive negative records of RT-PCR tests with SARS-CoV-2 among RT-PCR positive patients. The non-respiratory specimens were excluded from calculation.