Medically peer reviewed Covid data

SARS-CoV-2 RNA could be detected for 20 days or longer in a third of patients who survived in our cohort, and one patient had SARS-CoV-2 RNA detected for 25 days. Prolonged detection of viral RNA of 20 days or longer was also commonly seen for patients with MERS-CoV or SARS-CoV infections.
 Prolonged detection of viral RNA represents a challenge for the limited availability of hospital isolation facilities because patients might not be discharged until viral RNA is undetectable in respiratory specimens. Further studies are warranted to ascertain whether patients are shedding live virus, by viral culture of the prolonged RT-PCR-positive specimens obtained from patients with concomitant seropositivity when shedded virions are coated with host antibodies which render them non-infectious.

A criterion for discontinuation of transmission-based precautions is a negative RT-qPCR result from two sets of nasopharyngeal and throat swab specimens. In the current study, one patient with complete symptom resolution tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 again after 2 days of negative findings. Our results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 might be excreted at low levels despite clinical recovery. Thus, both serial viral load monitoring and antibody response should be considered when making decisions about infection control measures, because viral load seemed to be related inversely to serum antibody response in this study.https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30196-1/fulltext#seccestitle140