Factors Associated with Prolonged RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 Positive Testing in Patients with Mild and Moderate Forms of COVID-19: A Retrospective Study
, Victoria-Maria Ruta 2,3,†, Milena Adina Man 1,2,*, Rodica Ana Ungur 4, Viorela Mihaela Ciortea 4, Laszlo Irsay 4, Andrea Nicola 5, Dan Valean 6, Lia Oxana Usatiuc 3, Ileana Rodica Matei 7 and Ileana Monica Borda 4Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
It is a very interesting article. In this study, the authors examine the factors are associated with prolonged positive RT-PCR in patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 disease. It is a useful work, but the language of the text is really low as there are errors in grammar and syntax throughout the text. However, a few should be improved
Minor comments:
Line 2, 23,150,210,214: please correct to “SARS-CoV-2”
Lines 22-26, 46-49, 59-64, 69-74, 165-169,174-177: The sentences are too long and didn’t make sense. Please re-write.
Line 26: please insert colon after word “methods”
Line 26, 84,115,139: please add “A total of” in front of the number “70”
Line 27: please insert colon after word “Results”
Line 28: please correct “COVID-19”
Line 33: please replace “seen” with “studied”
Line 37: please correct “Mars”
Line 38: please replace “Faced with” with “In the face of”
Line 38: please add comma after the word “disease”
Line 39: please add comma after the word “Romania”
Line 44: please add the words “real-time” in front of the abbreviation RT-PCR and delete the words “real-time” in front of the word “reverse”
Line 45,90: please correct “24h”
Line 46: please add “COVID-19 test” in front of the word “results”
Line 52: delete the phrase “caused by 2019” and strain”
Line 55-57, 80-82, 99-100, 116-117,117-119, 144-146: Please rephrase
Line 83: please correct “tests”
Line 88: please add “patients who” in frond of the word “refuse”
Line 89: please replace “achieved” with “had” and delete the phrase “reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction”
Line 143: please correct “old”, “high”
Line 144: please replace “form of COVID-19” with “COVID-19 disease”
Line 148: pleas replace “existing” with “available”
Line 150: please replace “from” with “in the”
Line 178,188: please correct to “et al.” (font: italics/ full stop after the word “al”)
Major comments:
Study design
Why did you study the short period April to June 2020? 10. It would be more interesting to investigate the factors for long period.
Results
Table 2. Please add age and BMI.
Discussion
It would be interesting if you could discuss the effect of the different mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 to the factors and the severity of disease?
Author Response
To whom it may concern,
Thank you very much for you prompt response and for your interest in our paper. We also thank you for the valuable comments that helped improve our paper. We have separately responded to all requests made by the reviewers.
We started by correcting writing errors and English language. But, if despite our best efforts, English language it’s still not suitable to be published we gladly accept professional help from your prof reading team
We then responded to the questions related to the methodology. The recruiting period it’s short because only in that period the negative testing was compulsory for discharge. To avoid biases we took patients only from that period, hence the small sample. We have introduced details about RT-PCR testing / procedure .
We have added the required information in the results. Except table 2. The BMI and the age were not significantly different among groups that’s the reason we did not introduced them.
We revised the recommended phrases and topics from discussions.
Bellow you have all reviewers’ comments with the answers.
Thank you very much again.
Best regards,
The authors
Reviewer 1
Line 2, 23,150,210,214: please correct to “SARS-CoV-2”
ok
Lines 22-26, 46-49, 59-64, 69-74, 165-169,174-177: The sentences are too long and didn’t make sense. Please re-write.
Ok
Line 26: please insert colon after word “methods”
Done
Line 26, 84,115,139: please add “A total of” in front of the number “70”
Done
Line 27: please insert colon after word “Results”
Done
Line 28: please correct “COVID-19”
Done
Line 33: please replace “seen” with “studied”
ok
Line 37: please correct “Mars”
Ok
Line 38: please replace “Faced with” with “In the face of”
done
Line 38: please add comma after the word “disease”
ok
Line 39: please add comma after the word “Romania”
ok
Line 44: please add the words “real-time” in front of the abbreviation RT-PCR and delete the words “real-time” in front of the word “reverse”
ok
Line 45,90: please correct “24h”
ok
Line 46: please add “COVID-19 test” in front of the word “results”
ok
Line 52: delete the phrase “caused by 2019” and strain
Ok
Line 55-57, 80-82, 99-100, 116-117,117-119, 144-146: Please rephrase
ok
Line 83: please correct “tests”
ok
Line 88: please add “patients who” in frond of the word “refuse
ok”
Line 89: please replace “achieved” with “had” and delete the phrase “reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction”
ok
Line 143: please correct “old”, “high”
ok
Line 144: please replace “form of COVID-19” with “COVID-19 disease”
ok
Line 148: pleas replace “existing” with “available”’
ok
Line 150: please replace “from” with “in the”
Line 178,188: please correct to “et al.” (font: italics/ full stop after the word “al”)
Major comments:
Study design
Why did you study the short period April to June 2020? 10. It would be more interesting to investigate the factors for long period.
Results
Table 2. Please add age and BMI.
Discussion
It would be interesting if you could discuss the effect of the different mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 to the factors and the severity of disease?
Review 2
Authors aimed to evaluate the number of days that a patient with mild and moderate COVID-19 needs to reach undetectable levels of SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA in the nasopharyngeal swab. The subject is relevant and and it should be of interest for the readers of the Journal. However, a minor revision is necessary. Iam listing below points that should be addressed by Authors:
(Abstract) AUTHORS: “25.93 (±6.02) days in patients with mild COV-19 and…”
> Replace “COV-19” to COVID-19.
ok
(Abstract) AUTHORS: “Characteristics associated with prolonged positive RT-PCR test from the nasal swab (therefore prolonged viral load) in our study were older age, higher BMI values...”
> BMI? We corrected to obesity
(Introduction) AUTHORS: “In mars 2020 coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) pandemic challenged the human-kind.
> Mars? or March?
Corrected
(Introduction) AUTHORS “Most patients with mild and moderate forms of COVID-19 59
are no longer infectious after 10 days after symptoms onset, even though they can test 60
positive for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR via detection of non-viable RNA in nasopharyngeal 61
specimens for up to three months (or longer) after illness onset.”
> Provide reference à ok
(Materials and methods) AUTHORS: “Nasopharyngeal samples were collected by doctors in the morning using swabs and immediately placed in standard viral transport medium and they were processed in the same laboratory, by the same team.”
> Standard viral transport medium: more details
> “they were processed in the same laboratory”: details about sample processing are necessary.
Reviewer 2 Report
Authors aimed to evaluate the number of days that a patient with mild and moderate COVID-19 needs to reach undetectable levels of SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA in the nasopharyngeal swab. The subject is relevant and and it should be of interest for the readers of the Journal. However, a minor revision is necessary. Iam listing below points that should be addressed by Authors:
(Abstract) AUTHORS: “25.93 (±6.02) days in patients with mild COV-19 and…”
> Replace “COV-19” to COVID-19.
(Abstract) AUTHORS: “Characteristics associated with prolonged positive RT-PCR test from the nasal swab (therefore prolonged viral load) in our study were older age, higher BMI values...”
> BMI?
(Introduction) AUTHORS: “In mars 2020 coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) pandemic challenged the human-kind.
> Mars? or March?
(Introduction) AUTHORS “Most patients with mild and moderate forms of COVID-19 59
are no longer infectious after 10 days after symptoms onset, even though they can test 60
positive for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR via detection of non-viable RNA in nasopharyngeal 61
specimens for up to three months (or longer) after illness onset.”
> Provide reference
(Materials and methods) AUTHORS: “Nasopharyngeal samples were collected by doctors in the morning using swabs and immediately placed in standard viral transport medium and they were processed in the same laboratory, by the same team.”
> Standard viral transport medium: more details
> “they were processed in the same laboratory”: details about sample processing are necessary.
Author Response
To whom it may concern,
Thank you very much for you prompt response and for your interest in our paper. We also thank you for the valuable comments that helped improve our paper. We have separately responded to all requests made by the reviewers.
We started by correcting writing errors and English language. But, if despite our best efforts, English language it’s still not suitable to be published we gladly accept professional help from your prof reading team
We then responded to the questions related to the methodology. The recruiting period it’s short because only in that period the negative testing was compulsory for discharge. To avoid biases we took patients only from that period, hence the small sample. We have introduced details about RT-PCR testing / procedure .
We have added the required information in the results. Except table 2. The BMI and the age were not significantly different among groups that’s the reason we did not introduced them.
We revised the recommended phrases and topics from discussions.
Bellow you have all reviewers’ comments with the answers.
Thank you very much again.
Best regards,
The authors
Reviewer 1
Line 2, 23,150,210,214: please correct to “SARS-CoV-2”
ok
Lines 22-26, 46-49, 59-64, 69-74, 165-169,174-177: The sentences are too long and didn’t make sense. Please re-write.
Ok
Line 26: please insert colon after word “methods”
Done
Line 26, 84,115,139: please add “A total of” in front of the number “70”
Done
Line 27: please insert colon after word “Results”
Done
Line 28: please correct “COVID-19”
Done
Line 33: please replace “seen” with “studied”
ok
Line 37: please correct “Mars”
Ok
Line 38: please replace “Faced with” with “In the face of”
done
Line 38: please add comma after the word “disease”
ok
Line 39: please add comma after the word “Romania”
ok
Line 44: please add the words “real-time” in front of the abbreviation RT-PCR and delete the words “real-time” in front of the word “reverse”
ok
Line 45,90: please correct “24h”
ok
Line 46: please add “COVID-19 test” in front of the word “results”
ok
Line 52: delete the phrase “caused by 2019” and strain
Ok
Line 55-57, 80-82, 99-100, 116-117,117-119, 144-146: Please rephrase
ok
Line 83: please correct “tests”
ok
Line 88: please add “patients who” in frond of the word “refuse
ok”
Line 89: please replace “achieved” with “had” and delete the phrase “reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction”
ok
Line 143: please correct “old”, “high”
ok
Line 144: please replace “form of COVID-19” with “COVID-19 disease”
ok
Line 148: pleas replace “existing” with “available”’
ok
Line 150: please replace “from” with “in the”
Line 178,188: please correct to “et al.” (font: italics/ full stop after the word “al”)
Major comments:
Study design
Why did you study the short period April to June 2020? 10. It would be more interesting to investigate the factors for long period.
Results
Table 2. Please add age and BMI.
Discussion
It would be interesting if you could discuss the effect of the different mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 to the factors and the severity of disease?
Review 2
Authors aimed to evaluate the number of days that a patient with mild and moderate COVID-19 needs to reach undetectable levels of SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA in the nasopharyngeal swab. The subject is relevant and and it should be of interest for the readers of the Journal. However, a minor revision is necessary. Iam listing below points that should be addressed by Authors:
(Abstract) AUTHORS: “25.93 (±6.02) days in patients with mild COV-19 and…”
> Replace “COV-19” to COVID-19.
ok
(Abstract) AUTHORS: “Characteristics associated with prolonged positive RT-PCR test from the nasal swab (therefore prolonged viral load) in our study were older age, higher BMI values...”
> BMI? We corrected to obesity
(Introduction) AUTHORS: “In mars 2020 coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) pandemic challenged the human-kind.
> Mars? or March?
Corrected
(Introduction) AUTHORS “Most patients with mild and moderate forms of COVID-19 59
are no longer infectious after 10 days after symptoms onset, even though they can test 60
positive for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR via detection of non-viable RNA in nasopharyngeal 61
specimens for up to three months (or longer) after illness onset.”
> Provide reference à ok
(Materials and methods) AUTHORS: “Nasopharyngeal samples were collected by doctors in the morning using swabs and immediately placed in standard viral transport medium and they were processed in the same laboratory, by the same team.”
> Standard viral transport medium: more details
> “they were processed in the same laboratory”: details about sample processing are necessary.
