COVID-19 Re-infection Case: A team of scientists from the University of Hong Kong have claimed to find the first evidence of COVID-19 re-infection. A 33-year old Hong Kong man has been reinfected with the Coronavirus over four months after being infected from the virus.
As per the genetic tests conducted on the man, a different strain of Coronavirus was detected when he returned to Hong Kong from Spain in mid-August than the strain identified in him when he was first infected in March. The findings were shared by Dr Kelvin Kai-Wang, the lead researcher and a microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong.
The COVID-19 infection was detected in him while his screening at the Hong Kong airport. During his first contract with the Coronavirus, the man had mild symptoms and reported no symptoms during the second time.
As per the researchers, this is the first such confirmed case of COVID reinfection worldwide. The research paper on this re-infection study has been accepted by the "Clinical Infectious Diseases" journal, but not published yet.
What does COVID-19 Re-infection imply?
The COVID re-infection case raises questions on the durability of immunity in people against the virus, whether acquired after recovering naturally or through a vaccine. David Strain, a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School, states that the new findings are alarming for two reasons:
Firstly, the new findings raise the possibility that the COVID vaccine may not be prove to be effective enough
Secondly, if antibodies fail to provide the lasting protection against the novel Coronavirus, then we have to work towards viral near-elimination to return to normal life.
On a positive note, Brendan Wren, microbiologist of London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, states that such case could be very rare and also if second infections occur, they are not serious as the Hong Kong patient showed no symptoms when he was detected with re-infection.
What should COVID-recovered people do?
Even if the people have recovered from the novel Coronavirus, they should take precautions and follow the guidelines laid out by government to avoid the re-infection such as:
- Practice social distancing
- Wear face masks
- Frequent hand washing or use of hand sanitizers
- Avoid crowded gatherings, be it religious, social or others
- Get tested for COVID, if suspect symptoms appear again
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