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A 25-year-old boy was twice infected with the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), and the infection was more serious than the first contagion, according to a published study Monday in the magazine The lancet.
This will be the first known case of reinfection in the United States.
The patient, who has recovered from COVID-19, had no known health problems or immunodeficiency, but the second time he had to receive oxygen.
The young man, a resident of the state of Nevada, tested positive for COVID-19 on April 18 and June 5, with two negative tests in between, on May 9 and 26.
The first symptoms, which began days before the test, on March 25, were compatible with a viral infection, that is, a sore throat, cough, headache, nausea and diarrhea. The symptoms disappeared during the isolation period and hospital care was not necessary. The patient felt fine until May 28. For the next three days, she sought medical help for a fever, headache, dizziness, cough, nausea, and diarrhea, but an X-ray of her lungs showed no infection. However, five days later, on June 5, the young man returned to the doctor and was already in a state of hypoxia, that is, with low oxygen content in his blood, having been taken to the hospital to receive oxygen.
Genetic analysis has shown that it is SARS-CoV-2 and two variants of the virus, and the second is more pronounced than the first. That is, the patient was infected twice and the possibility of not being cured the first time was ruled out.
Until now, the reinfections are considered rare, given the more than 37 million confirmed cases of the disease, and reported cases are counted on the fingers of one hand. And it is not yet clear whether the reinfection is related to a dose increased level of virus or the patient’s immune response to the first infection.
Since the guarantee of immunity has not been proven, scientists understand that a recovered COVID-19 patient must maintain hygiene and social distance rules.
