According to official reports today, a reinfection case of coronavirus has surfaced from Hong Kong. University of Hong Kong researchers who had been observing the coronavirus situation in Hong Kong have revealed that a man has become infected with coronavirus for the second time. This reinfection case from Hong Kong mark’s the first case all over the globe where a patient became infected for the second time with the lethal virus.
This news confirms worries and suspicions regarding the nature of coronavirus. While many scientists argued that the virus can infect a patient for the second time as well, many others disagreed. This case of coronavirus from Hong Kong confirms that reinfection is quite possible. The reinfected patient is a 33-year old IT worker who had been earlier discharged from a hospital after being infected with the deadly virus in April. He has now tested positive for the second time after returning from a trip to Spain.
Health officials monitoring the coronavirus situation in Hong Kong were initially skeptical about whether the reinfected patient was a “persistent carrier” or not. It could be that the reinfected patient had been carrying his previous infection from April. Upon further investigation and testing, the Hong Kong research team identified that the virus carried by the reinfected patient in April was completely different from the virus he carried now. This was deduced by genetic sequencing which uncovered patterns of the virus.
The research uncovered by Hong Kong University team confirms the news that a patient can get infected for the second time by coronavirus. The study differentiating both virus strains has been accepted by the Clinical Infections Diseases Journal.
It was earlier believed that if a patient has recovered from coronavirus and tested negative, the patient build immunity against the chance of being reinfected by coronavirus. This was believed because health officials stated that previous research showed that patients usually developed a serum that neutralized the body’s antibody response against the virus. Perhaps this makes coronavirus much deadlier and lethal than other viruses.
Kwok-Yung Yuen, a researcher told the press that the findings of his team revealed that SARS-CoV-2 is likely to persist in humans. He further stated that SARS-CoV-2 might continue to spread even if a patient has developed immunity through natural infection or a vaccination. The symptoms of this virus are similar to that of coronavirus.
The nature of coronavirus is especially complicated and difficult to comprehend. Many patients test positive for the virus for several weeks even after their symptoms have visibly worn off. Scientists are particularly confused regarding the persistent traces of the virus. The nature of coronavirus is unlike any other virus, which makes it especially hard to cure. Health officials recommend that patients should still continue to wear masks and follow all cautionary SOPs even after their symptoms have disappeared.
