First Death of COVID Reinfection Patient... Vaccine Efficacy Controversy Expected

Elderly Patient Undergoing Chemotherapy Dies... Cause of Death Unclear
Vaccine Efficacy Controversy Likely to Grow... Antibody Duration Unknown

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The first case of a patient who died after being reinfected with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been reported worldwide. As the immunity and antibody function and duration in patients previously infected with COVID-19 become unclear, concerns are growing that controversies over the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines will intensify.

According to foreign media such as CNN, on the 13th (local time), an 89-year-old Dutch woman reportedly died after being reinfected with COVID-19. This is the first reported case worldwide of a death caused by COVID-19 reinfection. The case was published in the medical journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The woman was diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier this year and was hospitalized for treatment. Five days later, her symptoms such as cough and high fever improved, and she was discharged. About 50 days later, while resuming chemotherapy for her pre-existing condition, multiple myeloma, she experienced high fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, and was diagnosed with COVID-19 again and treated. However, her condition worsened, and she died two weeks later. The research team confirmed reinfection because genetically distinct viruses were detected in the two infections, indicating that the first infection had not persisted.

The researchers stated that although opinions differ on the cause of death due to the patient's advanced age and ongoing chemotherapy, COVID-19 appears to be the decisive cause. They explained, "Considering the type of chemotherapy the woman received, there should have been sufficient immune response to fight COVID-19 even after chemotherapy."

According to the medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, at least four cases of COVID-19 reinfection have been reported worldwide so far. Most recently, a 25-year-old man living in Nevada, USA, was reinfected in June of this year, and earlier, a 33-year-old man in Hong Kong was reinfected after four and a half months. With the immunity and antibody duration in COVID-19 patients still uncertain, concerns are rising that controversies over the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines will increase. CNN quoted a researcher from The Lancet Infectious Diseases, reporting, "Reinfection cases suggest that everyone, regardless of previous infection status, must take extreme preventive measures to avoid contracting COVID-19."

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