World's First COVID-19 Reinfection Confirmed in Hong Kong...Reinfected in Europe After Recovery Clearance

33-year-old Hong Kong man reinfected after visiting Spain following infection in late March
Antibody persistence after infection unknown... "Be cautious even if infected"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] A case of secondary infection in a patient who had recovered from the first infection of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Hong Kong has been officially confirmed. Although suspected reinfection cases have been reported in some countries including China, this is the first time reinfection has been officially defined. Concerns are emerging that even with the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, there may be limitations in reducing the spread.

According to foreign media including the medical news outlet Stat News on the 24th (local time), the COVID-19 research team at the University of Hong Kong officially confirmed the case of a patient who was infected with COVID-19 for the first time, treated, and then tested positive again after four and a half months. The related paper was published in the international infectious disease journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

According to the research team, the patient is a 33-year-old Hong Kong male who was infected with COVID-19 at the end of March, received treatment, and was declared recovered. He then visited Spain earlier this month and tested positive for COVID-19 during airport quarantine upon his return. The University of Hong Kong research team estimated that the virus from the first infection originated in China, while the virus from the second infection was a variant mutated in Europe.

The man showed symptoms such as fever during the first infection but exhibited no symptoms during the second infection. The research team stated, "It is believed that antibodies formed in the body during the first infection partially prevented the spread and symptom manifestation of the variant virus."

Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO's Emerging Diseases and Zoonoses Unit, said at a video briefing held at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on the same day, "With nearly 24 million people infected so far, reinfection cases like the University of Hong Kong report can certainly occur," adding, "Since it is not yet precisely known how long antibodies formed after infection protect the human body, even those who have been infected should be cautious about reinfection."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.