Researchers are now
reporting the first case of a patient who tested positive for COVID-19, recovered, and then got the infection again.
The 25-year-old man from Nevada first tested positive in April after developing mild symptoms. He contracted the infection again in late May and developed more severe coronavirus.
Dr. Kristian Anderson, professor of immunology and microbiology, told Reuters: “This study likely represents a clear example of reinfection…reinfections are possible – which we already knew, because immunity is never 100 percent.”
Scientists are concerned that a future vaccine may not be very effective if Covid-19 reinfection is possible over a short period of time.
During the patient’s first illness, he had symptoms including headache, a sore throat, diarrhea, and nausea. His symptoms disappeared by April 28 and he received two negative tests on May 9.
But on May 31, the 25-year-old reported symptoms he had before as well as feeling dizzy and fever. His condition worsened that he was rushed to a hospital and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
Scientists say the patient was neither immunocompromised nor was he taking immunosuppressant medications.
Researchers from the University of Nevada, the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory, and Reno school of medicine said the virus associated with each instance of the patient’s infection showed genetically different strains.
This shows true reinfection as the genetic make-up of the strains are different enough.
“We don’t know at what frequency reinfections occur and how that might change over time,” Anderson said.
“Before we have broader studies illuminating these questions, we can’t conclude what a single case of reinfection means for longevity and robustness of COVID-19 immunity and relevance for a future vaccine.”
The director of the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory, Mark Pandori, said in a statement: “It is just one finding, but it shows that a person can possibly become infected with SARS-CoV-2 a second time.
“If reinfection is possible on such a short timeline, there may be implications for the efficacy of vaccines developed to fight the disease. It may also have implications for herd immunity.”
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