The Coronavirus Pandemic 2019, or COVID-19, is an ongoing worldwide pandemic caused by SARS Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Wuhan in Hubei province, China, was the first city in China to discover the novel virus in December; a lockdown there and in nearby cities failed to stop the outbreak, which spread quickly throughout mainland China and worldwide.
On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization declared a Pandemic of International Concern, and on 11 March 2020, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The Body’s Circadian Rhythm Can Affect The Sensitivity Of Covid Tests
The virus has arisen in multiple variants and has become a major threat in several countries since 2021.
The most virulent variants are Delta, Beta, and Alpha. The pandemic has so far been confirmed to have killed around 497 million people and caused over 245 million cases, making it one of the deadliest in history.
More research is still underway by the experts where its effects on various organs are being observed. One of these aspects is the circadian rhythm that helps the body function normally, and if the same is affected by the virus, the whole function of the body may get disturbed.
COVID-19 testing has been used by health professionals as part of their safety precautions for patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recent paper, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Professor of Biological Sciences Carl Johnson conducted research to better understand how viruses might act differently at different times of the day.
At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Johnson collaborated with adjunct assistant professor Candace McNaughton and associate professor Thomas Lasko to assess whether the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 differs by day of the week. In the study, people who tested in the middle of the day had a two times higher chance of getting an accurate positive result than those who tested at night.
In agreement with other studies of viruses and bacteria, COVID-19 may also act differently in the body when timed according to our natural circadian rhythm. Our biological clock plays a role in modulating the immune system, which is related to the shedding of CVID-19 virus particles into the blood and mucus in the middle of the day.
The best time to take a COVID-19 test is in the middle of the day, which increases sensitivity and allows us to diagnose people who may be infected but asymptomatic accurately, Johnson added.
According to their research, viral loads in the blood are lower after 8 p.m. Thus, a false-negative result is more likely to occur if patients are tested at that time. Patients and the community can both suffer when false negatives are reported, as they might not seek more care as a result of receiving a negative test result.
We may be able to test for and treat COVID-19 in a different way if there is a difference in viral shedding throughout the day. As peak viral shedding typically occurs in the afternoon when patients are more likely to seek medical treatment or to interact with others, hospitals and the community could be at greater risk of viral spread.
Researchers need to conduct further research to confirm SARS-CoV-2’s diurnal nature, meaning it is active during the daytime. It would be valuable to examine how that virus is shed by individuals who are infected with COVID-19 throughout the day, according to Johnson.
These early findings may be used to improve COVID-19 testing and improve test accuracy, according to Johnson and co-authors. According to the researchers, the timing of intervention and vaccine strategies can contribute to their effectiveness.
Researchers Nicholas Adams, assistant professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology, as well as assistant professor of emergency medicine, conducted the research.
