We investigated 68 respiratory specimens from 35 coronavirus disease patients in Hong Kong, of whom 32 had mild disease. We found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and subgenomic RNA were rarely detectable beyond 8 days after onset of illness. However, virus RNA was detectable for many weeks by reverse transcription PCR.
Keywords: COVID-19; China; Hong Kong; SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus; coronavirus disease; infectivity; mild disease; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; subgenomic RNA; viral RNA load; virus culture; viruses; zoonoses.