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India
healthysoch
New Delhi, November 0, 2020 :
Dr Atul Kakar
During recovery from COVID 19 infection most patients develop antibodies against COVID after 1 to 3 weeks from onset of symptoms. The development of these antibodies depends on multiple factors including the severity of the infection and patient’s immune response to the infection. Thus a patient who has mild disease may not mount good immune response and may not develop antibodies.
A healthcare worker at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital who presented with symptoms suggestive of acute viral illness was tested positive for COVID 19 by RT PCR. Patient was initially admitted to COVID facility for 3 days but later patient was shifted to home quarantine for 17 days in view of mild nature of her illness. She was retested before rejoining work at hospital and was found to be negative for COVID 19. She resumed her daily activity and went back to her normal life. After 2 months, she developed a fresh episode of cough, generalised weakness and malaise. Patient was investigated and was found to be COVID 19 positive once again. She was readmitted in the COVID facility and tested negative in few days after being diagnosed. During the course patient was tested for COVID 19 antibodies but her antibody levels were negative.
Another patient, a middle aged man, who was a known case of diabetes mellitus, had liver involvement due to alcohol and renal involvement due to diabetes. He had nasal discharge and was subsequently found to have fungal infection of sinuses (mucormycosis) in addition to COVID 19 infection (RT PCR). He was treated with antifungal and other supportive medications and about 10 days later he was tested negative for COVID and discharged home. He was readmitted due to abdominal distension 25 days later and required hospitalization during which he was retested and found COVID 19 positive.
Dr. Atul Kakar, Senior consultant and Vice chairman of Department of Medicine at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, states that “So far, re-infection with COVID has been considered as a rare possibility. Both these cases follow the defined criteria of re-infection. However, in ideal circumstances gene sequencing should have been done in both the cases. The antibody levels to COVID may have waxing weaning course, but maybe found upto 3 to 6 months post infection”.
In view of the above finding, patient’s who recover from COVID 19 should continue precautions like social distancing, hand washing and wearing a mask in public places to avoid such re-infections.
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