New Study Finds Persistent Viral Shedding of COVID-19 Is Associated with Delirium and Six-Month Mortality in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

Newswise — Chicago, IL – A new Northwestern Medicine study published in GeroScience sought to determine the prevalence, risk factors and significance of persistent viral shedding in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The Northwestern Medicine Neuro COVID-19 research team discovered patients who continued to test positive more than 14 days after their initial positive test were more likely to experience delirium, longer hospital stays, were less likely to be discharged home, and had a greater six-month mortality than those without persistent viral shedding of COVID-19.