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Two cases provide new information on reinfection by the coronavirus. An 89-year-old woman with a previous illness died in the Netherlands when she was re-infected with the virus. A 25-year-old from Nevada, USA, was infected again a month and a half after his first mild corona disease. This time he had to be ventilated in the hospital.
The Nevada case was published in a study in the journal “The Lancet Infectious Diseases.” He tested negative among his corona diseases. The second time the virus had changed genetically. It was mutated.
What is a corona reinfection?
If you get sick again with the disease you have already survived, it is called reinfection. Reinfection with the same virus. This also works with the corona virus, as the new cases show. However, there have been very few corona-confirmed reinfections so far.
Are the symptoms more severe with the second corona infection?
The American tested positive for two different coronavirus infections in 48 days. The patient developed severe symptoms of Covid 19 the second time. Including fever, headache, dizziness, cough, nausea, and diarrhea. They took him to the hospital. With the first infection it was not necessary, his symptoms were mild.
His case shows that reinfection can occur, and especially more severe, in a short period of time. This is also demonstrated by the case of the 89-year-old deceased from the Netherlands. According to “Telegraaf”, the old man fell ill with Corona for the first time at the beginning of the year and was admitted to hospital. The first time he had a high fever and cough.
She was treated in the hospital for five days until her symptoms subsided. He survived despite having a rare form of bone marrow cancer. Two months later, he again developed a fever, cough, and shortness of breath. A reinfection by corona. Tests showed that he did not develop antibodies after the initial infection. He died as a result of the second infection.
Has Swiss also hired Corona twice?
Yes. The BAG confirms to Nau.ch that “there have already been several cases of secondary infections” in Switzerland. Exactly how many is currently unknown.
Are you not immune after an infection?
According to the US study, which does not include the Dutch case, it is not yet clear how long immunity will last after a first corona infection. This is explained by study author Mark Pandori of the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory at the University of Nevada. The study shows that a previous infection does not necessarily protect against reinfection.
According to Mark Pandori, this means that “precautionary measures should still be taken after an infection has been overcome.” Keep minimum distances, wear respiratory masks, and wash your hands regularly. However, much remains to be clarified about corona reinfections.
“We need more research to understand how long the immunity of people exposed to Sars-Cov-2 can last and why some of these second infections, although rare, turn out to be more serious,” explains Pandori.
What does this mean for a vaccine?
According to the authors of the US study, it is important to note, however, that their research does not yet allow for generalization of the phenomenon. But: “Even if more research is required, the possibility of reinfections could have a significant impact on our understanding of Covid-19 immunity, especially in the absence of an effective vaccine.” This is another difficulty in vaccine development (Euc).
