While the world has finally found time to heave a sigh of relief regarding coronavirus, reports from Iran have jolted awake the anxiety regarding the virus. A senior medical specialist at Kerman University of Medical Sciences, from Iran, has reported that a patient contracted coronavirus three times. The patient experienced reinfection of COVID-19 3 times. In addition to this anxiety-inducing news, doctors treating coronavirus patients have tested positive for the virus two times.
3 times reinfection of COVID
In an interview, Dr. Nozar Nakhaei talked about the latest outbreak of coronavirus in the Kerman province of Iran. He told a local news agency that the Kerman province had suffered from two peaks of the virus. This is mainly because people refused to observe SOPs and guidelines regarding social distancing. He stated that the virus began to increase in mid-June gradually and attained its peak by the end of July. After July, the number of patients decreased until September. However, the influx of coronavirus patients has been increasing in Kerman recently.
Dr. Nozar Nakhaei compared the onset of coronavirus with a forest fire; just like a wildfire in the forest increases if there is a large parameter, similarly the spread of coronavirus increases exponentially if there is a larger area. The analogy also explains how it becomes impossible to control the spread of coronavirus if it has infected a large number of areas.
Cases in Kerman, Iran increase as winter approaches
Dr. Nozar Nakhaei also emphasized that the current number of coronavirus patients in Kerman is much greater than the number of infected patients during the peak in summer. He explained two reasons for this: winters approaching and enclosed spaces.
Several research studies have concluded that the virus is able to survive for longer periods in cold weather. The lifespan of the virus increases in winters which makes it easier to infect people. As winter approaches, people keep their doors and windows closed to shield themselves against the cold winds. Enclosed spaces serve as breeding grounds for the virus to thrive.
Dr. Nozar Nakhaei has urged residents of Kerman to take the rising number of coronavirus cases seriously. He has urged people to observe standard SOPs and general guidelines pertaining to social distancing. He has also warned people that the symptoms of the virus may vary greatly for different people which is why people should socially distance themselves from each other.
He narrated a personal anecdote where a patient came to him with symptoms that he characterized as a common cold. The patient was experiencing eye pain and redness in the eyes, along with hiccups for the last 24 hours. These are not common symptoms for coronavirus, yet the person tested positive when he was tested. Dr. Nozar Nakhaei has also urged people to get tested for the virus if they experience any unusual symptoms.
