Patients and specimens
This study enrolled patients who visited Hanyang University Guri
Hospital’s emergency department from March to June 2022. RT-PCR assays
were performed for patients who decided to be admitted for further
specific treatment. Patients with SARS-CoV-2-positive results in the
RT-PCR assay within 45 days before the emergency department visit were
excluded. Repeated visits by the same patient were considered individual
cases. The Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS) classification was
performed for all patients visiting the emergency
department.7 Disease severity and urgency of treatment
increased from KTAS level 5 to level 1. COVID-19-associated symptoms
were fever, cough, sputum, rhinorrhea, dyspnea, or throat pain. This
study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Hanyang
University Guri Hospital (2022-11-011), which waived the requirement for
informed consent to participate in the study.
Two pairs of nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs from each patient
were used for STANDARD M10 and Allplex assays. Specimens were obtained
and transferred using a universal viral transport medium of RM Life
Science (Seoul, Korea) or GeneTM gene transport medium (SG Medical,
Seoul, Korea). STANDARD M10 assay was performed immediately after sample
collection, and Allplex assay was performed within 12 h after sample
collection. When discordant results occurred between STANDARD M10 and
Allplex assays, the specimen subjected to STANDARD M10 assay was
retested with Allplex assay to correct the influence that occurred from
different specimens. The retest was performed within 48 h after sample
collection, and the initial results of Allplex assay were replaced by
the retest results. Samples were stored at 4℃ before subsequent tests.