SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test sensitivity and viral load in newly symptomatic hospital employees in Berlin, Germany, December, 2020 to February, 2022: an observational study.

Background: Evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants and changing levels of pre-existing immunity require re-evaluation of antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic test (Ag-RDT) performance. We investigated possible associations between Ag-RDT sensitivity and various potential influencing factors, such as immunisation status and viral variant, in symptomatic hospital employees.

Methods: In this observational study, RT-PCR, Ag-RDT, and symptom-specific data were collected at three SARS-CoV-2 test centres for employees of the Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin hospital (Berlin, Germany).

Clinical and virological characteristics of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in a German tertiary care centre during the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a prospective observational study.

Purpose: Adequate patient allocation is pivotal for optimal resource management in strained healthcare systems, and requires detailed knowledge of clinical and virological disease trajectories. The purpose of this work was to identify risk factors associated with need for invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), to analyse viral kinetics in patients with and without IMV and to provide a comprehensive description of clinical course.

Methods: A cohort of 168 hospitalised adult COVID-19 patients enrolled in a prospective observational study at a large European tertiary care centre was analysed.