Viral Load Kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in First Two Patients in Korea

• Published in: Journal of Korean medical science Vol. 35; no. 7; pp. e86 - 7
• Main Authors: Kim, Jin Yong, Ko, Jae-Hoon, Kim, Yeonjae, Kim, Yae-Jean, Kim, Jeong-Min, Chung, Yoon-Seok, Kim, Heui Man, Han, Myung-Guk, Kim, So Yeon, Chin, Bum Sik
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences 24.02.2020; 대한의학회
• Subjects: Adult; Betacoronavirus - pathogenicity; Brief Communication; Coronavirus Infections - virology; COVID-19; Female; Humans; Kinetics; Male; Middle Aged; Pneumonia, Viral - virology; SARS-CoV-2; Severity of Illness Index; Viral Load; 의학일반; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Coronavirus; 2019-nCoV; Viral Load Kinetics
• ISSN: 1011-8934; 1598-6357; 1598-6357
• DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e86

As of February 2020, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak started in China in December 2019 has been spreading in many countries in the world. With the numbers of confirmed cases are increasing, information on the epidemiologic investigation and clinical manifestation have been accumulated. However, data on viral load kinetics in confirmed cases are lacking. Here, we present the viral load kinetics of the first two confirmed patients with mild to moderate illnesses in Korea in whom distinct viral load kinetics are shown. This report suggests that viral load kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 may be different from that of previously reported other coronavirus infections such as SARS-CoV.