Fig. 1. The clearance of NCP antigen is delayed in ICU patients
Antigen concentration of systemic NCP in patient sera was measured by ELISA (see Supplementary Methods). Samples were grouped based on ICU admission. (A) NCP concentration at indicated days after positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR. (B) Samples were grouped into those collected before or after 8 days since COVID-19 diagnosis. ICU and non-ICU patients exhibited high NCP levels in the early phase of COVID-19 infection. NCP antigenemia remained significantly higher in ICU compared to non-ICU patients after 8 days since diagnosis. Means ± SD. ** p<0.01; ns=not significant by t test.