Advancing COVID-19 diagnostics: rapid detection of intact SARS-CoV-2 using viability RT-PCR assay.

Unlabelled: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Commonly used methods for both clinical diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and management of infected patients involve the detection of viral RNA, but the presence of infectious virus particles is unknown. Viability PCR (v-PCR) uses a photoreactive dye to bind non-infectious RNA, ideally resulting in the detection of RNA only from intact virions.

The laboratory parameters-derived CoLab score as an indicator of the host response in ICU COVID-19 patients decreases over time: a prospective cohort study.

The CoLab score was developed and externally validated to rule out COVID-19 among suspected patients presenting at the emergency department. We hypothesized a within-patient decrease in the CoLab score over time in an intensive care unit (ICU) cohort. Such a decrease would create the opportunity to potentially rule out the need for isolation when the infection is overcome.

The CoLab score is associated with SARS-CoV-2 viral load during admission in individuals admitted to the intensive care unit: the CoLaIC cohort study.

Objectives: The present study examines the temporal association between the changes in SARS-CoV-2 viral load during infection and whether the CoLab-score can facilitate de-isolation.

Methods: Nasal swabs and blood samples were collected from ICU-admitted SARS-CoV-2 positive patients at Maastricht UMC+ from March 25, 2020 to October 1, 2021. The CoLab-score was calculated based on 10 blood parameters and age and can range from -43 to 6.

Validating a clinical laboratory parameter-based deisolation algorithm for patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit using viability PCR: the CoLaIC multicentre cohort study protocol.

Introduction: To investigate whether biochemical and haematological changes due to the patient's host response (CoLab algorithm) in combination with a SARS-CoV-2 viability PCR (v-PCR) can be used to determine when a patient with COVID-19 is no longer infectious.We hypothesise that the CoLab algorithm in combination with v-PCR can be used to determine whether or not a patient with COVID-19 is infectious to facilitate the safe release of patients with COVID-19 from isolation.

Methods And Analysis: This study consists of three parts using three different cohorts of patients.