新型冠状病毒可以在体内保留多年吗？

StephenW

Can novel coronavirus stay in the body for years?
By Zhao Shiyue | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2020-04-04 07:30
Li Lanjuan, left, a renowned Chinese epidemiologist, poses for a photo with the 600th cured patient of COVID-19 at the east branch of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University in Wuhan, Hubei Province, on March 16, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

A rumor claims the novel coronavirus, the pathogen that causes COVID-19, can remain in the body of an infected person for years and requires lifelong medication, as with the infection of hepatitis B, where a patient is a chronic carrier of the virus.

The misunderstanding was debunked by Hou Jinlin, an infectious disease physician with Nanfang Hospital in Guangzhou.

Hou said COVID-19, an acute infectious disease, is totally different from hepatitis B, which is a chronic disease. For hepatitis B patients, antibodies are constantly generated to neutralize the viruses.

If antibodies cannot be detected, it is because viruses are constantly replicating and antibodies are generated to neutralize them. Otherwise, it indicates viruses have been deactivated.

For most people, medicine treatment can't cure chronic hepatitis B, only suppressing the replication of the virus. Therefore, most people who start treatment must continue it for life, according to information published by World Health Organization.

COVID-19 is an acute respiratory disease, and the virus won't stay hidden for a lifetime in a person's body once the disease has been cured, Hou said. The novel coronavirus is usually cleared within 14 days if a patient has a strong immune system, and then antibodies will be detected.

Hou added, however, a small amount of the novel coronavirus can still replicate after the antibody has been produced in a person's body, which means patients could still spread the virus to others. Therefore, the production of antibodies shouldn't be regarded as a standard for a patient to get discharged from the hospital.

Patients in China can get discharged after two consecutive negative nucleic acid tests, taken at least 24 hours apart, and by exhibiting indications of clinical recovery, including body temperature, respiratory symptoms and CT lung screening, according to the latest version of diagnostic guidance released by the National Health Commission.

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StephenW

新型冠状病毒可以在体内保留多年吗？
赵世岳| chinadaily.com.cn |更新时间：2020-04-04 07:30
左为中国著名流行病学专家的李兰娟，于2020年3月16日在湖北省武汉市武汉大学人民医院东院与600名治愈的COVID-19病人合影。[照片/新华社]

谣言称，新型冠状病毒是引起COVID-19的病原体，它可以在感染者体内保留多年，并且需要终身服药，例如乙型肝炎感染，而患者是该病毒的慢性携带者。

这种误解是由广州市南方医院的传染病医生侯金林揭穿的。

侯说，COVID-19是一种急性传染病，与慢性病B型肝炎完全不同。对于乙型肝炎患者，会不断产生抗体来中和病毒。

如果无法检测到抗体，那是因为病毒不断复制，并且产生了抗体来中和它们。否则，表明病毒已被停用。

对于大多数人来说，药物治疗不能治愈慢性乙型肝炎，只能抑制病毒的复制。因此，根据世界卫生组织发布的信息，大多数开始治疗的人必须终身接受治疗。

侯说，COVID-19是一种急性呼吸道疾病，一旦治愈，这种病毒就不会在人体内终身隐藏。如果患者的免疫系统较强，通常会在14天内清除新型冠状病毒，然后将检测到抗体。

侯补充说，但是，在人体内产生抗体后，少量新的冠状病毒仍然可以复制，这意味着患者仍可以将病毒传播给他人。因此，抗体的产生不应视为患者出院的标准。

根据最新发布的诊断指南，中国患者可以通过连续两次连续的阴性核酸检测（至少间隔24小时）出院，并表现出临床恢复的迹象，包括体温，呼吸道症状和CT肺部筛查。国家卫生委员会。

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