Amid reports that people who were once cured of Covid-19 are not free from threats of contracting the virus again, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the problem of reinfection is under investigation. , although it is not a serious problem at this time. The Union Minister was addressing his weekly show “Sunday Samvaad”.
“Some cases of reinfection are being reported all over the world, not just in India. At the moment, the issue is still under investigation and does not appear to be a serious problem. However, each and every aspect of Covid-19 is being actively studied and investigated. Reports are being examined, although the number of reinfections is negligible, ”said the Minister of Health.
Recently, the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune claimed that a resident physician tested positive for Covid-19 “for the second time” in a three-month period. The doctor’s samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for genome sequencing and antibody testing.
“The doctor had tested positive in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, on June 12 through the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. During discharge on June 22, he was tested again and came back negative. The test was repeated 24 hours later and was negative again. All of these tests were RT-PCR. After that, the doctor continued with his work. However, a few days ago, the doctor felt uncomfortable and complained of pain in the body. We tested it through an antigen test on Friday and it came back positive for the infection, ”said Dr. Parikshit Prayag, Covid-19 consultant physician at Deenanath Mangeshkar.
Some hospitals in the national capital reported in August that they were seeing recovered coronavirus patients returning to them with a recurrence of the infection.
According to Dr. BL Sherwal, medical director of the Delhi government-run hospital, unless the virus is cultured or gene sequencing is done, it will be difficult to determine whether it is a different strain of the virus that has infected the person. for the second time. .
“There may be a relapse. The virus can be isolated from the body, particularly from sputum. We have the evidence that after the ninth or tenth day the virus becomes non-infectious and patients are not tested again. However, the virus has been reported to live in patients who have recovered between 39 and 40 days ago, ”she added.
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