Fig. 7

Forest plot: a meta-analysis of the duration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA positivity in the upper respiratory tract samples based on the severity. The duration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA positivity from the onset of COVID-19 in the severe patients (a) and the nonsevere patients (b) was calculated using the random effects model. The duration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA positivity from the onset of COVID-19 in the severe patients (c) and the nonsevere patients (d) from the studies with the mean age of 40 years or older and the proportion of patients with any comorbidities of 30% or more was calculated using the random effects model. MRAW, the raw data of mean; 95%-CI, 95% confidence interval