Oxford University scientifically confirmed the first death from the reinfection of COVID-19. Experts ensure that previous exposure to the virus does not guarantee full immunity.
LONDON UK (Oxford University Press) – Oxford University scientifically confirmed-The first death from COVID-19 reinfection. An 89-year-old woman who was infected two months ago and recovered suffered new reinfection by a different strain that finally led to her death.
The Dutch patient’s illness, one of 25 cases of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection known in the world, was aggravated by a rare form of bone marrow cancer that she was suffering from.
The woman arrived at the ER earlier this year with a fever and a severe cough. She tested positive for coronavirus and remained hospitalized for five days, after which her symptoms disappeared completely, except for persistent fatigue.
Almost two months later, she developed a fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
When she was admitted to the hospital, her oxygen saturation was 90 percent, with a breathing rate of 40 breaths per minute. She tested positive for coronavirus again, while antibody tests were negative on days 4 and 5.
On day 8, the patient’s condition deteriorated, and she died two weeks later.
Study to confirm reinfection developed
Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist and health economist, trained at Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University, conducted a study to confirm that this was a different infection than the original one.
The team led by Feigl-Ding had access to test samples of both infections and confirmed that each virus’s genetic composition was different to the degree that cannot be explained through in-vivo evolution.
This supports the finding that the woman was suffering from coronavirus reinfection.
The specialist concludes that these findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infected the patient on two different occasions by a genetically distinct virus. Therefore, prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2 may not guarantee full immunity in all cases.
