We investigated the infectivity of 128 severe acute respiratory disease coronavirus 2-associated deaths and evaluated predictive values of standard diagnostic procedures. Maintained infectivity (20%) did not correlate with viral RNA loads but correlated well with anti-S antibody levels. Sensitivity >90% for antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests supports their usefulness for assessment.
Keywords: Ag-RDT; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic test; coronavirus; coronavirus disease 2019; infectivity; postmortem; respiratory infections; serostatus; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; viral RNA load; viruses; zoonoses.