Table of contents:
- The case of a COVID-19 patient who contracted it twice
- 1,024,298
- 831,330
- 28,855
- Has ever been infected with COVID-19 not give you immunity?
- How long will COVID-19 antibodies provide protection?
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Researchers in Hong Kong reported a case of recurrent infection from a COVID-19 patient who had previously been declared cured. The patient is a 33-year-old man who contracted COVID-19 twice. After being declared cured at the end of March, he was then re-infected a few months later.
Why can someone be infected with COVID-19 for the second time?
The case of a COVID-19 patient who contracted it twice
The first case of reinfection was reported by Hong Kong researchers on Monday (24/8). This case occurred in a 33-year-old man who was first infected in late March and was declared cured, then came back infected four months and a half later.
This case raises a question about the protective resistance of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the bodies of recovered patients.
Reports of contracting COVID-19 twice are rare and so far not accompanied by data on the identity of the virus so it cannot be confirmed.
However, in this case, Hong Kong University researchers sequenced the viral genetic data of the two infections and found that the genetic identities of the two did not match. This confirms that the second infection is not associated with the first infection.
Experts ask for ongoing research into these two cases of infection by tracking patients who have recovered from COVID-19. This tracking can help research to reach more definite conclusions.
COVID-19 Outbreak updates Country: IndonesiaData
1,024,298
Confirmed831,330
Recovered28,855
DeathDistribution MapHas ever been infected with COVID-19 not give you immunity?
Antibodies are protective proteins that are formed by the immune system when a virus infects the body. These antibodies are in charge of fighting viruses and making them harmless and even destroying them.
Antibodies that are formed after recovering from a disease usually stay in the blood to protect the body from the same virus and can even prevent a second infection.
However, the quality of antibody protection from the bodies of patients recovering from COVID-19 is still not known with certainty. Even so, experts say that even the lowest antibody levels in the body may still have protective abilities.
In the case of the man in Hong Kong, he experienced milder symptoms of COVID-19 in the second infection. This shows, the immune system still provides protection even though it is not able to prevent recurrent infections.
There are three possibilities when someone is re-infected with the same virus, namely that they can experience more severe symptoms of illness, the same symptoms as the first infection, and it can be mild or without symptoms.
First, a person can experience more severe symptoms of illness in a second infection such as those that occur with the virus that causes dengue fever. However, there has not been a single case of this kind in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Second, the patient experienced the same symptom severity when contracting COVID-19 twice. This is probably because the immune system doesn't really remember viruses. This can happen if the first infection can be cured without the need for antibodies and T-cells to fight the virus attack on the body.
The third possibility, the symptoms of illness in the second infection become lighter because there are still antibodies produced by the immune system that are left in the blood. These antibodies are able to remember and fight viruses.
How long will COVID-19 antibodies provide protection?
All of this depends on how long and how many antibodies are left after a person has recovered from COVID-19.
The strength and resistance of the immune response are important factors in predicting how long the vaccine can be effective in protecting against contracting COVID-19, whether it requires two vaccines, and how many doses are needed.
Prior to the publication of two cases of infection by COVID-19 patients in Hong Kong, the researchers Chongqing Medical University found that the antibodies of COVID-19 patients lasted only 3 months. Of the 74 patients analyzed, the majority began to experience a decrease in antibody levels by up to 70%.
