A healthy man who lives in Nevada caught Covid-19 twice. The second time that he got Covid 19 was worse than the first time. He has recovered from the virus, but this raises many important questions about the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. William Schaffner is an infectious disease specialist who works at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He stated that this is a yellow caution light. Dr. Paul Offit is another infectious disease specialist who works at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He stated that he is not surprised that it is possible for people to get Covid-19 twice.
The man who developed the novel coronavirus twice did not have any previous health problems. Researchers do not know whether it will become common for people to get the virus twice. Dr. Paul Offit stated that he has talked to many doctors with patients who think that they have had the virus twice.
There have been 22 cases documented of people who have had the virus twice. However, experts do not know exactly how many people have been infected. It is possible that people who have had the virus did not know that they had it.
Akiko Iwasaki is an immunologist who works at Yale University. He stated that re-infections can be a one in a million event. He also stated that it is possible that the majority of people who get the novel coronavirus are protected from re-infection. However, it is hard to measure that.
There is a man in Hong Kong who tested positive for the virus twice. He did not have any symptoms. The only reason that he knew he had the virus twice was because he was tested during a routine screening.
Mark Pandori is a pathologist who works at the University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine. He stated that he does not know why the Nevada man’s infection was worse the second time around. However, he believes that it is possible the man may have caught a different version of the virus.
Akiko stated that the possibility of reinfection raises questions about how effective a vaccine will be. However, he said that vaccines are different. Vaccines have more antibodies than a natural infection. He also said that neither vaccination nor natural immunity can offer 100 percent protection.
The Nevada man developed Covid 19 infection in late March. He was an essential worker, and this was before many workplaces required people to wear a face mask. He developed diarrhea, nausea, headache and sore throat. He was tested for the coronavirus on April 18, and it was positive.
All of his symptoms were gone by April 27. One month later, he got sick again. One of his family members worked at a job that had experienced an outbreak. He went to the urgent care on May 31 after complaining of dizziness, headache, fever, diarrhea and fatigue. On June 5, he went to the doctor and found out his oxygen levels were low.
The man tested positive for the coronavirus despite the fact that he had antibodies in his blood. He had to be hospitalized. He had a cough that lingered for several weeks. He also had to use supplemental oxygen for weeks. He has fully recovered.
Researchers stated that the virus does not mutate quick enough to explain why someone could get infected twice in a short period of time. They believe that the family member who had the coronavirus exposed the man to a higher dose of it.
Dr. Pandori stated that people should still be cautious even if they have had Covid-19. He said that they should wear face coverings, wash their hands and avoid large gatherings. He also warned people that if they get the virus again, then it may be worse the second time.
