Table 1.

Interpretation of different virological test results of COVID-19 and coping strategies

COVID-19 test results	Interpretation	Optimal treatment strategies
Nucleic acid test++, IgM+/-, IgG+/-	Confirmed infection	Transfer to a designated hospital
Nucleic acid test+, IgM+, IgG+/-	Confirmed infection	Transfer to a designated hospital
Nucleic acid test+, IgM-, IgG+/-	Suspected infection or re-positive	Isolation in buffer ward and recheck
IgM+, IgG-, Nucleic acid test-	New infection or re-positive	Isolation in buffer ward and recheck
IgG+, IgM-, Nucleic acid test-	Previous infection	Recheck and transfer to inpatient ward
IgM+, IgG+, Nucleic acid test-	Re-positive or new infection	Isolation in buffer ward and recheck
IgM-, IgG-, Nucleic acid test-	No infection	Transfer to impatient ward

Note: The four-sites nucleic acid test of novel coronavirus mainly includes nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, sputum and anal swabs. The serological test includes IgM and IgG antibody. The plus sign indicates a positive result. For the four-sites nucleic acid test, one plus sign (+) represents positive result of one site, two plus signs (++) represent positive results of two or more sites, which are of diagnostic significance combined with the epidemiology and close contact history as well as clinical manifestations.