Combination of CT and RT-PCR in the screening or diagnosis of COVID-19
Youxin Wang, Haifeng Hou, Wenrui Wang, Wei Wang
Abstract
March 2020, COVID-19 cases have been reported in 114 countries from all Continents except Antarctica, with accumulative 80 932 cases in China and 29 432 in other countries [1]. The transmission potential of COVID-19, determined by reproduction number (R0) of 3.28, is much higher that of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) Bold measures taken by China have effectively curbed the rapid spread of this new respiratory disease source and changed the dangerous process of rapid spread of the epidemic [3]. The world is not yet ready to organize and implement the measures that have been proved to be efficient and effective by China to block or minimize the spread of new coronavirus The crude case-fatality rate (CFR) of COVID-19 is reported to be 2.3% in all patients [4], while higher to be 61.5% in critically ill patients Therefore, early screening and quarantining mild or asymptomatic cases and early diagnosis of sever patients for intensive treatment are urgent to avoid the pandemic of COVID-19.