Abstract
In December 2019, an unprecedented outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology emerged
called COVID-19. A vast number of people affected by this disease are asymptomatic
and yet contagious with up to 79% of COVID-19 infections reportedly caused by undocumented
infections. Surprisingly, these asymptomatic subjects are also known to quietly harbor
pneumonia changes on CT scans. RT-PCR, the definitive test for COVID-19, maybe false
negative in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia on CT. Incidental findings highly suspicious
of COVID-19 pneumonia on CT chest of asymptomatic patients may increase as the community
transmission of the virus rises and isolation restrictions are released. It is advisable
to be aware of its appearances and the challenges associated with it.
Keywords
Asymptomatic COVID-19 patients - false positive RT-PCR - incidental COVID-19 pneumonia
on CT - RT-PCR COVID-19