Sequencing of samples from COVID-19 patients re-positive for SARS-CoV-2

Serial samples from 18 re-positive individuals from Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital, Guangdong, China were sequenced to detect SARS-CoV-2 genomes and subgenomic mRNAs. The 10^-4 and 10^-5 dilutions of a cultured SARS-CoV-2 strain were included as the positive control. Forty-five non-re-positive samples were also sequenced to reveal the genetic diversity of SAR-CoV-2 detected in the hospital. Our analysis found that the re-positive viruses, which were more often detected in the anal swabs, may evolve from the previous infection rather than from a novel second infection, and that the virus might be potentially infectious.