Review 1: "Duration of viable virus shedding in SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant infection"

RR:C19 Evidence Scale rating by reviewer:

• Reliable. The main study claims are generally justified by its methods and data. The results and conclusions are likely to be similar to the hypothetical ideal study. There are some minor caveats or limitations, but they would/do not change the major claims of the study. The study provides sufficient strength of evidence on its own that its main claims should be considered actionable, with some room for future revision.

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Review:

The present study evaluated the viral shedding among the SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. The patients selected were screened by RT-PCR, including both the Delta and Omicron infected patients ( the majority were
Delta infected). The median days of viral shedding were found similar in both Delta and Omicron infected patients. This study presents evidence on the potential number of days required by a person to remain isolated after being infected with SARS-CoV-2. Interestingly it was very similar to the Delta and Omicron. The methodology and statistical analyses were appropriately applied to draw the conclusions. Surprisingly, the study results found that there is no difference in time to PCR conversion, culture positivity, and vaccination status. This study may further add to the status of current vaccines. The study had also evaluated the positivity times with the antigen testing (specificity of 88% (95%CI, 71-96%) for culture positivity between days 6-10 after infection). The results of this study may be of extreme importance for healthcare administrators to make decisions on the time of isolation and the utility of antigen-based testing methods.