Coronavirus Reinfection: Will Recovered Patients Survive the Second Time?

Reinfection Update: Are Coronavirus Survivors Under Threat of Reinfection and Will They Survive a Second Time?

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One dire possibility is that the testing fails to detect the real condition of the ‘already well’ patient, which doctors takes as successful treatment. This is the dodgy part wherein the question is are they safe, or what happens next.

There are many cases of positive cases that were saved, and they became coronavirus survivors. Now, there is an increasing number of recurring cases or reinfection. The big question is how were these patients re-infected? What happens to the body the second time it gets coronavirus? Once recovered, what are your chances of catching coronavirus again?

Japanese woman with recurring coronavirus infection

In Japan, an unidentified female patient in Osaka, who was formerly admitted for positive infection a few weeks back, is now experiencing reinfection. Now, she will go through the process again.

Similar reports are cropping up in China, where the Mainland government has declared victory over the virus. However, a few days later, some recovered patients were once again testing positive. The re-emergence of the coronavirus in some patients in China and Japan are unforeseen.

This scenario of re-infection is now causing a stir leaving people baffled on what causes recovered patients from getting sick again.

What experts say if the reinfection did happen

Florian Krammer, a virologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, says that reinfection cannot happen, or no chance or recurring. She said that this is unlikely to happen a short time.

Another implication is that milder infections will breed a short-term immune response to the coronavirus is normal in patients.

One likely explanation is that the coronavirus survivors had low levels of the pathogen when they left, and given the COVID-19 free signal.

On Thursday, the JAMA is in agreement that people have the longshot chance to test positive again even after recovering.

Also read: Coronavirus Outbreak Second Wave? Recovered Wuhan Patients Testing Positive Again

Four test subjects in Wuhan

In the center of the coronavirus in Wuhan, four medical professionals became infected with the pathogen. It is said that they re asymptomatic and they carried the coronavirus in them for about 5 to 13 days after.

Researchers did not say they cannot infect or are able to transmit the COVID-19 disease.

The subjects had a PCR diagnostic test that can make the slightest viral DNA more pronounced. One assumption is the viral fragments are detected not the entire live pathogen.

Dr Krammer added, "PCR tests may detect remnants of the measles virus months after people who had the disease stop shedding infectious virus." Or the test was not done conclusive or poorly implemented with viral part undetected.

Marc Lipsitch, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said a good amount of virus is needed in the swab, or it might read differently.

Biphasic infection, or is it?

Dr Lipsitch added that not all instances are not easy to interpret. It could be that it is a biphasic infection, wherein the virus survives and bring in a different set of symptoms. Ebola, for example, might live in the testes or eyes after recovery which might infect others.