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An American was infected twice by the new coronavirus in a month and a half and the second infection was more serious than the first, according to a study released on Tuesday that details this case of reinfection, one of the five registered so far in the world.
“There is still a great deal of ignorance about SARS-CoV-2 infections and the immune system response, but our work shows that a previous infection would not necessarily protect against a future infection,” said Professor Mark Pandori, lead author of the published study. in Lancet Infectious Diseases Medical Journal.
This implies that “people who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 should continue to take precautions, such as physical distance, use of a mask and wash their hands,” because it is possible to become infected again, explains Pandori, quoted in a statement from Magazine.
According to the medical journal, so far five cases of reinfection have been confirmed: in Hong Kong (the first, announced on August 24), in Belgium, the Netherlands, Ecuador and the US state of Nevada (the subject of this new study).
“This does not mean that they no longer exist, since many cases of covid-19 are asymptomatic” and therefore difficult to detect, warns Pandori, an expert at the University of Nevada.
The five cases are different. In the case of Nevada and Ecuador, the second infection was more serious than the first, unlike what happened with the other three.
In the case of Nevada, a 25-year-old boy, no previous immune disorders or illnesses have been detected.
On April 18 he tested positive for the first time, with some symptoms (sore throat and headache, cough, nausea and diarrhea). He isolated himself at home and his condition improved. After that, the test was negative twice. But 48 days later, on June 5, he returned to a positive result, this time showing more serious symptoms, such as breathing difficulties that required his admission to the emergency room and the administration of oxygen. You are now recovered.
Genetic analysis has shown that these two successive infections were caused by two different strains of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, essential information to ensure that it is a reinfection.
“More research is needed to understand how long immunity against SARS-CoV-2 lasts and why some of the second infections, although rare, are more serious,” says Pandori.
