A new report details the case of a young man from Nevada who contracted SARS-CoV-2 on two different occasions, the first confirmed case of a U.S. patient becoming reinfected with the virus and the fifth case reported worldwide.
The man, aged 25 years, had no known immune disorders or history of significant underlying conditions but required hospital treatment on testing positive for the virus the second time. According to the report, detailed in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the man has since recovered, but the case raises questions about the idea of developing protective immunity against the virus.
The young man first tested positive in April of this year, and his symptoms fully resolved during isolation by the end of the month. He then tested negative for the coronavirus twice in May. He began to experience symptoms again from May 28, and on June 5 tested positive again, with doctors saying his condition was symptomatically "more severe" than the first infection.
A comparison of the genetic codes indicated there were "significant differences" between each variant related to each instance of SARS-CoV-2 infection. "These findings suggest that the patient was infected by SARS-CoV-2 on two separate occasions by a genetically distinct virus.
Thus, previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 might not guarantee total immunity in all cases," the study authors said. "All individuals, whether previously diagnosed with COVID-19 or not, should take identical precautions to avoid infection with SARS-CoV-2," they noted.
https://www.pharmacist.com/article/25-year-old-man-becomes-first-us-contract-coronavirus-twice?
