Persistence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Omicron Variant in Children and Utility of Rapid Antigen Testing as an Indicator of Culturable Virus
Abstract:We screened 65 longitudinally-collected nasal swab samples from 31 children aged 0-16 years who were positive for SARS-CoV-2 omicron BA.1. By day 7 after onset of symptoms 48% of children remained positive by rapid antigen test. In a sample subset we found 100% correlation between antigen test results and virus culture.
“…As of 2023, the Omicron variant is predominant in Chile and globally. Notably, viral persistence of up to 14 days post Omicron infection has been observed in US children, with positive viral cultures [ 54 ].…”
“…As of 2023, the Omicron variant is predominant in Chile and globally. Notably, viral persistence of up to 14 days post Omicron infection has been observed in US children, with positive viral cultures [ 54 ].…”
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