Respiratory tract samples (i.e., tracheal aspirates and nasopharyngeal swabs (eSwab, Copan, Italy)) and blood plasma (Serum-Gel, Sarstedt, Nümbrecht, Germany) were obtained as part of the clinical routine at the Department of Intensive Care Medicine. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected and quantified as described previously [18 (link)]. Standard RNA reference material (obtained from INSTAND e.V., Duesseldorf, Germany) was used for quantification.
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