One in Ten People Still Remain Infectious Even After 10 Days

One in 10 people can still be infectious and might have the potential to spread the Covid-19 virus even after the 10 days, reveals a new research.

The study, led by the University of Exeter in the UK, used a newly-adapted test which can detect whether the virus was potentially still active. It was applied to samples from 176 people in Exeter who had tested positive on standard PCR tests.

COVID Positive Test Linked to Mental Illness
People who are tested COVID-19 positive by a PCR test were found to have a higher risk of fatigue, mental illness, and sleep problems, revealed study.

‘Potentially active viruses may sometimes persist beyond a 10 day period, and could pose a potential risk of onward transmission.’

Tweet it Now

The study, published in the international Journal of Infectious Diseases, found that 13 percent of people still exhibited clinically-relevant levels of virus after 10 days, meaning they could potentially still be infectious.

Some people retained these levels for up to 68 days or more than two months. The team believe this new test should be applied in settings where people are vulnerable, to stop the spread of Covid-19.

"While this is a relatively small study, our results suggest that potentially active viruses may sometimes persist beyond a 10 day period, and could pose a potential risk of onward transmission. Furthermore, there was nothing clinically remarkable about these people, which means we wouldn't be able to predict who they are," said Professor Lorna Harries, of the University of Exeter Medical School.

COVID-19 in Kids: Over 5,000 Children Test COVID Positive In Meghalaya, 17 Die
In Meghalaya over 5000 children under 14 years of age have tested positive for COVID-19 and 17 of them died, said health officials.

Conventional PCR tests work by testing for the presence of viral fragments. While they can tell if someone has recently had the virus, they cannot detect whether it is still active, and the person is infectious.

The test used in the latest study however gives a positive result only when the virus is active and potentially capable of onward transmission.

Jaipur Woman Tests Covid Positive 31 Times
In Rajasthan's Bharatpur, a 35-year-old woman has been posing an unique challenge to all medical theories on Covid-19, as she was tested positive 31 times in the last five months.

"In some settings, such as people returning to care homes after illness, people continuing to be infectious after ten days could pose a serious public health risk. We may need to ensure people in those settings have a negative active virus test to ensure people are no longer infectious. We now want to conduct larger trials to investigate this further, a said lead author Merlin Davies, from the varsity.

Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi Tests COVID Positive
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has tested positive for coronavirus. He shared this information on social media and asked people to follow Covid guidelines.

Source-IANS