Evaluation the auxiliary diagnosis value of antibodies assays for detection of novel coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) causing an outbreak of pneumonia (COVID-19)

Yong Gao; Yi Yuan; Tuan Tuan Li; Wu Xiao Wang; Yong Xiu Li; Ang Li; Feng Ming Han

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 , caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, continues to spread worldwide and has become a global threat. As of March 21, 2020, it has reached more than 115 countries, with 266073 cases and 11184 deaths (1) (2) . The World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic and rates the global risk assessment as very high.A global response to prepare health systems worldwide is imperative (3) .Timely and accurate diagnosis of suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection, and to isolate and care for these patients early are of great importance for interrupting human-to-human transmission, and limiting further spread of the virus. Common laboratory abnormalities in confirmed COVID-19 cases include decreased white blood cells, lymphocytes, and platelet counts, and an increased LDH, CK, and CRP levels (4) (5) . And the reported common clinical symptoms include fever, cough, myalgia or fatigue (6) . However, these abnormalities and symptoms are not unique features of COVID-19 since these might be similar to that of other virus infected disease. Meanwhile, some infected patients are asymptomatic but can also become a source of infection, which makes early diagnosis essential.