You say potato, I say tomato: reassessing SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in children

Yonker et al conclude that SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal viral load in children in the first two days of symptoms was significantly higher than in hospitalized adults with severe disease (1). Comparing the median viral load of nine children in the first two days of illness to that of adults tested at least seven days and as many as 26 days after symptom onset, a time point when viral load is always lower than at symptom onset and contagiousness has ceased, is inappropriate (2,3,4). SARS-CoV-2 viral load is highest at the onset of illness and wanes over time regardless of age or illness severity, as the authors themselves argue (Figure 2, panel C) (3,4).

Source: The Journal of Pediatrics - September 20, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Benjamin Lee, William V. Raszka Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research