SARS-CoV-2 virus culture from the upper respiratory tract: Correlation with viral load, subgenomic viral RNA and duration of illness.

Abstract

In 68 respiratory specimens from a cohort of 35 COVID-19 patients, 32 of them with mild disease, we found SARS coronavirus-2 virus culture and sub-genomic RNA was rarely detectable beyond 8 days after onset of illness although virus RNA by RT-PCR remained detectable for many weeks.