25-Year-Old Man Had Covid-19 Twice In The Space Of Two Months
A 25-year-old man living in Nevada is thought to be the first confirmed case of Covid-19 reinfection in North America.
The patient was infected with two variants of the virus SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, within a 48-day timeframe, according to details published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
In between both infections, he tested negative for the virus, according to his case report. When he caught Covid-19 again, his symptoms were more severe and he ended up in hospital needing oxygen support.
There are two concerns raised by the case report. The first is that we now know a second infection can occur within a short timeframe and can be more severe.
The second is that such findings indicate that exposure to Covid-19 may not translate to guaranteed total immunity. That said, further research is needed to determine how common an occurrence this is.
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A timeline of the patient’s illness
In April 2020, the man, from Washoe County, tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after turning up to a community testing event with a sore throat, cough, headache, nausea, and diarrhoea. His symptoms had started on March 25.
He had no known immune disorders or underlying conditions. During isolation, the patient’s symptoms resolved and he continued to feel well until May 28.
On May 31, the man sought help at an urgent care centre with self-reported fever, headache, dizziness, cough, nausea, and diarrhoea. Chest radiography was done and he was discharged home.
Five days later, on June 5, he presented to a primary care doctor where he was found to have low levels of oxygen in his body, and was struggling with shortness of breath. He was sent to hospital and tested positive for a second time.
The patient has since been discharged from hospital and has recovered from the second infection.
The genomes of the patient’s virus...
