Duration of SARS-CoV-2 viremia and its correlation to mortality and inflammatory parameters in patients hospitalized for COVID-19: a cohort study : Duration of SARS-CoV-2 viremia

Abstract Background SARS-CoV-2 viremia at admission is associated with high risk for mortality. However, longitudinal data on viremia duration are limited. Methods Viremic patients hospitalized for COVID-19 were included in a cohort. Time to serum viral clearance and the effect of viremia duration on the odds of mortality were calculated. Results 121 viremic patients were included. Median age was 62 (IQR 52-71) years and 68% were males. The total in-hospital mortality of the cohort was 33%. Median time from admission to serum viral clearance was 7 (95% CI 6-8) days. Duration of viremia showed a relative risk ratio of 1.40 (95% CI 1.02-1.92) for the odds of mortality in an adjusted multinomial logistic regression. Serum viral clearance coincided with defervescence and decreasing C-reactive protein. Conclusions Median time to serum viral clearance was 7 days after admission. The odds of mortality increased with 40% for each additional day of viremia.