What meaning is positive throat swab after all?What is the difference between a positive throat swab and a confirmed case of COVID-19?How is a positive throat swab currently isolated?
A positive throat swab indicates the presence of the virus
"After the COVID-19 outbreak, throat swab collection is currently the main test method for viral nucleic acid in China.If a positive throat swab means a positive nucleic acid test, then those 45 are novel Coronavirus."A leading expert on the immune system told Science and Technology Daily.
What does a positive nucleic acid test mean?It was introduced that the coronavirus is composed of proteins and RNA, which is responsible for the reproduction of the virus.The outer proteins both maintain the particle form of the virus and protect the internal RNA.So a nucleic acid test is a direct test for the presence of the virus, which means a positive throat swab indicates the presence of the virus.
Novel coronavirus is mainly transmitted through the respiratory tract, and the pharynx is a place where such viruses are concentrated.This is done by dipping a small amount of secretions from the pharynx with a medical cotton swab and then testing the specimens.
The above-mentioned experts told reporters that two or more throat swab tests are generally required to identify an infected person, and two positive throat swabs are considered to be infected, and the two sampling intervals are 24 hours apart.Two negative throat swabs from nucleic acid tests were also an indicator of discharge.
People with a positive throat swab are either confirmed or asymptomatic
"Swab-positive people may be asymptomatic or have a confirmed case of COVID-19."Cheng Zhenshun, director of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Central South Hospital of Wuhan University and chairman of the Respiratory Branch of Wuhan Medical Association, pointed out that a positive throat swab does not mean a confirmed coVID-19 case.
"If a person's throat swab is positive for NUCLEic acid but does not have clinical symptoms, such as fever or dyspnea, and the CT scan of the lungs does not show obvious signs of viral infection, then he or she is asymptomatic," Cheng explained.
According to the description of diagnostic criteria for confirmed COVID-19 cases in the COVID-19 Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol (trial version 7), subjects who test positive for NUCLEic acid need to combine their clinical manifestations with other findings such as lung CT, cheng added.Only those who meet the diagnostic criteria for COVID-19 can be considered a confirmed case.
"According to the recent investigation results in Wuhan, asymptomatic infected persons are weakly contagious, but asymptomatic infected persons may turn symptomatic, so they need to be quarantined for observation.Generally speaking, asymptomatic infected persons can be quarantined without special treatment."Cheng Zhenshun further said.
