While US President Donald Trump, announced cured of Covid-19, declares to be immune, a patient, the 5th in the world, has been officially infected for the second time by the virus.
- The second infection caused more severe symptoms than the first in the reinfected person.
- Three of the five re-infection cases had more severe symptoms when first infected.
- These results prove that barrier measures must be respected by everyone, including those who have experienced a first infection and who are still at risk of further contamination.
How long does immunity last after a first infection? For the time being, it is impossible to answer this question with certainty. “It looks like I’m immune, for, I don’t know, maybe a long time, maybe a short time, maybe for life. Nobody really knows, but I’m immune”, believes Donald Trump, during a telephone interview with the American television channel FoxNews. In the process, the American president split a tweet announcing that he can no longer catch the virus and can no longer transmit it. Faced with the scientific uncertainty around this question, the social network sanctioned it with a warning, considering that it violates “Twitter’s rules regarding the dissemination of misleading and potentially harmful information related to Covid-19”.
A total and complete sign off from White House Doctors yesterday. That means I can’t get it (immune), and can’t give it. Very nice to know!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2020
A second more severe infection
And indeed, a new case of reinfection in the United States undermines the words of Donald Trump. These two infections took place a month and a half apart and were identified in a study published Monday, October 12 in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases. “There are still many unknowns about SARS-CoV-2 infections and immune system response, but our work shows that prior infection may not necessarily protect against future infection.”, launched Professor Mark Pandori, lead author of the study and researcher at the University of Nevada. The reinfection was confirmed by genetic analysis which showed that these two successive infections were caused by two different strains of the virus. “More research is needed to understand how long immunity to SARS-CoV-2 lasts and why some of these second infections, while rare, are more severe”, estimated the researcher.
The second infection of this American citizen is indeed more serious than the first. It was diagnosed on April 18 and the patient only complained of a few mild symptoms such as a sore throat and headache, cough, nausea and diarrhea. After a period of isolation, his condition improved. On June 5, 48 days later, he tested positive again but this time developed more severe symptoms. He had difficulty breathing which required hospitalization and the administration of oxygen. Medical care eventually put him back on his feet and he was released from the hospital and recovered.
Continue to respect barrier gestures
This is the fifth recorded worldwide case of a second Covid-19 infection. “That’s not to say there aren’t more, as many Covid-19 cases are asymptomatic.”, adds Mark Pandori. The first official case of reinfection was recorded in Hong Kong on August 24, and was followed by cases in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Ecuador. For the last, as for the American, the second infection was more severe than the first, which was the reverse for the other three.
These results prove that the barrier measures must be respected by everyone, including those who have experienced a first infection and who remain subject to a new contamination. “People who have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 should continue to take precautions, including physical distancing, wearing a mask and washing hands”, concluded the researcher.
.
