Figure 3. Mean Change from Baseline in SARS-CoV-2 Viral RNA Load by qPCR on Throat Swabs.

bars indicate 95% confidence intervals. Results less than the lower limit of quantification of polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) assay and greater than the limit of qualitative detection are imputed with 1 log₁₀ copies per milliliter; results for patients with viral-negative RNA are imputed with 0 log₁₀ copies per milliliter. Among the 199 patients, 130 (59 patients in the lopinavir–ritonavir group and 71 in the standard-care group) had virologic data that were used for viral load calculation, whereas the rest of the patients had undetectable viral RNA on throat swabs over the time.