Volume 28, Number 4—April 2022
Research Letter
Recurrent SARS-CoV-2 RNA Detection after COVID-19 Illness Onset during Pregnancy
, Romeo R. Galang, Veronica K. Burkel, Varsha Neelam, Samantha Siebman, Jerusha Barton, Susan E. Manning, Kathryn Aveni, Nicole D. Longcore, Elizabeth M. Harvey, Van Ngo, Deborah Mbotha, Sarah Chicchelly, Mamie Lush, Valorie Eckert, Paula Dzimira, Ayomide Sokale, Miguel Valencia-Prado, Eduardo Azziz-Baumgartner, Adam MacNeil, Suzanne M. Gilboa, and Van T. Tong
Table
Symptomatic pregnant persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection detected in respiratory specimens by recurrent positive status, based on RT-PCR positive test result >90 d after symptom onset, Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies Network, United States, March 29–December 31, 2020*
| Characteristic | Total, N = 6,551 | Not recurrent, n = 6,409 | Recurrent positive, n = 142 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median duration of RT-PCR positivity (range), d |
3 (0–416) |
3 (0–90) |
127 (91–416) |
| Median duration of RNA shedding (range), d† |
135 (0–441) |
148 (0–441) |
143 (18–412) |
| Median age at first positive result (IQR), y |
29 (25–33) |
29 (25–33) |
29 (25–32) |
| Age at initial infection, y‡ | |||
| <25 | 1,547 (23.6) | 1,512 (23.6) | 35 (25.6) |
| 25–29 | 2,034 (31.0) | 1,990 (31.0) | 44 (40.0) |
| 30–34 | 1,857 (28.4) | 1,809 (28.2) | 48 (33.8) |
| >35 |
1,113 (17.0) |
1,098 (17.1) |
15 (10.6) |
| Race/ethnicity | |||
| White non-Hispanic | 2,599 (39.7) | 2,554 (39.8) | 45 (31.7) |
| Asian non-Hispanic | 275 (4.2) | 270 (4.2) | 5 (3.5) |
| Black non-Hispanic | 1,197 (18.3) | 1,171 (18.3) | 26 (18.3) |
| Hispanic | 2,077 (31.7) | 2,029 (31.7) | 48 (33.8) |
| Multiple or other non-Hispanic | 210 (3.2) | 200 (3.1) | 10 (7.1) |
| Unknown |
193 (2.9) |
185 (2.9) |
8 (5.6) |
| Trimester of SARS-CoV-2 infection§ | |||
| First | 1,146 (17.5) | 1,114 (17.4) | 32 (22.5) |
| Second | 2,327 (35.5) | 2,231 (34.8) | 96 (67.6) |
| Third |
3,078 (47.0) |
3,064 (47.8) |
14 (9.9) |
| Underlying conditions¶ | |||
| Yes | 4,945 (74.4) | 1,478 (25.6) | 10 (7.0) |
| No | 1,488 (22.7) | 4,184 (72.4) | 131 (92.3) |
| Unknown | 118 (1.8) | 117 (2.0) | 1 (0.7) |
*Values are no. (%) except as indicated. IQR, interquartile range; RT-PCR, reverse transcription PCR; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. †Duration of RNA shedding was available for only 458 persons. ‡Age in years at initial infection was calculated based on date of first SARS-CoV-2–positive test result during pregnancy or symptom onset if date of positive is unavailable. §Trimester of SARS-CoV-2 infection is calculated based on date of last menstrual period and either date of first positive SARS-CoV-2 results or symptom onset if date of positive unavailable. ¶Presence of any underlying condition was defined as any of the following: obesity, chronic lung disease, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or immunosuppressive conditions (conditions that weaken the immune system [e.g., HIV or AIDS, some cancers such as leukemia] or medications [e.g., chemotherapy or radiation treatment, chronic corticosteroids, or other immunosuppressive medications]).