Scientists in Hong Kong reputation they have found a man who was reinfected by the coronavirus that get covid-19 , endure by concrete genetic evidence . This would be the first documented compositor’s case of someone being infect twice , but it ’s still unclear if this patient is an outlier or if vulnerability to reinfection is common .
According to the report , spell by researchers at Hong Kong University ’s Department of Microbiology , the man in inquiry is a 33 - yr - old computing machine technician and local house physician who caught his initial infection of the fresh coronavirus , SARS - CoV-2 , in late March . He break a coughing , sore pharynx , and fever for about three days and was soon hospitalize , though his symptom had already dispel by then . Two week later , he was discharged with a clean bill of wellness , having test negative for the virus double .
On August 15 , the man again tested positive for SARS - CoV-2 at an aerodrome screening surveil a trajectory home from Spain . This time , he reported no symptoms , though he was still hospitalized and monitored again . While his doctors did surmise at first that he may have plainly had a persistent infection that went unnoticed , a subsequent genetic psychoanalysis of the computer virus found during both his hospital stays seems to rule that out .
Medical staff wearing personal protective equipment as a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus while entering the Lei Muk Shue care home in Hong Kong on 19 February 2025.Image: May James (Getty Images)
The genetic analysis revealed that the man was infected by two distinct strains of SARS - CoV-2 , from two wholly different lineages of the virus documented elsewhere . Though the man never felt sick the 2d metre around , his consistence did show sign of a typical contagion , such as lofty degree of excitement , a comparatively high viral onus that step by step declined over time , and the output of new antibodies to the virus later on in the infection ( perhaps importantly , no antibody were find during the first transmission nor at the beginning of his second contagion )
The researchers themselves were convert , say that they ’ve encounter the first well - documented case of reinfection by SARS - CoV-2 .
“ The confirmation of reinfection has several important implications . First , it is unbelievable that herd immunity can rule out SARS - CoV-2 , although it is potential that subsequent infections may be mild than the first infection , as for this patient , ” they wrote . “ Second , vaccines may not be capable to cater life - prospicient granting immunity against covid-19 . ”
As important as this case is , there are still limitation to the findings , presume they ’re valid . For one , though journalists have made available thecontentsof the study , it has n’t yet gone through international psychoanalysis by other scientists .
https://gizmodo.com/what-s-the-evidence-for-covid-19-reinfection-1844364577
Secondly , this vitrine alone ca n’t tell us if reinfection will become a unwashed natural event for people during this pandemic or if it merely represents a rare oddment . expert have generally beenskepticalof widespread reinfection happen so presently , citing evidence that exemption to other coronaviruses can last at least close to a yr or long . It also ca n’t differentiate us what factors may touch a person ’s chances of reinfection .
In this character , the researchers only had one sample uncommitted from the first infection to try out for antibody , collected under 10 Clarence Shepard Day Jr. in . Because people can formulate antibodies to the coronavirus subsequently than that , it ’s still possible the man ’s torso climb an antibody response initially . That ’s a crucial aspect of this to pin down , because most citizenry seem to germinate antibody during contagion . If reinfection is more potential to happen in those without antibodies made the first time , that may narrow the possible action of reinfection happening in most survivors — at least as soon as this slip seems to have happened , just five months between transmission .
Scientists mostly harmonise that citizenry who do n’t arise antibodies to the computer virus lean to have a more mild vitrine to begin with than others . And as the author take down , the second infection may be even milder , thanks to other parts of the immune system still remembering the virus , particularly thyroxin cells . So the personal danger of reinfection may be lessen further .
At the same time , there are many unknown about what could tempt the course of a second contagion or a somebody ’s power to transmit the virus to others during this reinfection .
For now , the possibility of reinfection is definitely something for doctors and scientists to keep an optic on and study further , especially give this report . But we just do n’t yet make out how relevant it will be in the rarefied scheme of thing .
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