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For the first time, Australia is treating one of its Covid-19 cases as a rare reinfection.
During a press conference, Victoria’s Prime Minister Daniel Andrews said the Victorian man first tested positive for Covid-19 in June, and also recently tested positive.
At this stage, the case has been classified as a reinfection due to “great caution,” Andrews said, rather than a prolonged shedding of the virus.
New Zealand has not had any cases of reinfection here, the Health Ministry confirmed.
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Luca Bruno / AP
People wear face masks to prevent the spread of Covid-19 while waiting at a bus stop in Milan, Italy.
However, we have had historical cases added to the nation’s total. Health officials have also seen weak positive tests showing remnants of an ancient virus, especially when the person becomes ill with a non-covid respiratory infection. International research shows that these people are not infectious.
While we have not seen any cases of reinfection in New Zealand, some other countries have reported them, including the Netherlands, the United States and also Hong Kong.
Last week it was revealed that a Dutch woman had become the first person to die from a Covid-19 reinfection.
The 89-year-old woman initially recovered from her first infection, however she developed Covid-19 symptoms 59 days later and then died.
According to the researchers who published the findings in Oxford University Press, Test samples from the woman showed that the genetic makeup of the virus she had was different, meaning she was likely to get reinfected.
It is not clear exactly how many cases of reinfection have emerged worldwide. A report in The lancet Journal suggests that at least four cases have been confirmed. However, a tracking tool cited by the Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy suggests that 23 cases of reinfection have been reported globally.
EDDIE JIM / The Age
People photographed wearing masks while fishing in Melbourne.
The first case of reinfection is believed to have been discovered by Hong Kong scientists. Genetic testing revealed that the 33-year-old man who had returned to Hong Kong from a trip to Spain in mid-August had a different strain of the virus than he had previously been infected in March.
Another case of reinfection also appeared in Nevada, United States. A 25-year-old man first appeared with mild symptoms of Covid-19 in April. It recovered and tested negative twice, but then tested positive again in June.
A study published in The lancet last week he stated that the possibility of reinfection by SARS-CoV-2 “is not well understood.”
Responding to Victoria’s latest reinfection case, Professor Sarah Palmer said that if it turned out to be Australia’s first reinfection case, it would fit a pattern seen in other parts of the world.
The University of Sydney professor said there is still “a lot to learn” about the virus and our body’s immune response to it.
“In particular, as the virus continues to evolve and mutate, infection with one of its strains may not protect us from another strain.
“These reinfection disclosures pose a major challenge to vaccine efforts, as many vaccines were developed to be active against strains identified early in the progression of the pandemic. As more infections occur, we will be in a race for vaccines to keep pace with the evolutionary curve of this virus, ”said Palmer.
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People with masks pictured waiting for a tram in Melbourne.
Dr Larisa Labzin from the University of Queensland explained that there were two scenarios behind why someone could test positive twice for Covid-19.
The first is that they have really been exposed to Covid-19 again and they have caught it again. This can be determined by genetic sequencing, Labzin said.
The second is that the person who contracted Covid at the beginning of the year never really cleared the original infection. In that case, they would not be considered a “new” Covid-19 case.
“Actual reinfection that has been confirmed with genetic sequencing has now been reported in a few rare cases around the world, indicating that it is indeed possible.”
Hassan Vally, an associate professor at La Trobe University, said that while Victoria’s case was interesting, few details were available and that it was important not to give the finding too much weight.
“Since we have only coexisted with SARS-CoV-2 for less than a year, it is not yet clear what the immunological characteristics of the infection are. So far, however, very few cases of reinfection have been reported. “
