Despite What Trump Says, You Can Catch COVID a Second Time

A Nevada man has caught COVID-19 twice, with the second infection becoming far more dangerous than the first, doctors report.  The 25-year-old needed hospital treatment after his lungs could not get enough oxygen into his body.  Many falsely believe that it is impossible to be reinfected by the coronavirus-- but it is possible, although at this point it seems somewhat rare. 

A study in the Lancet Infectious Diseases raises questions about how much immunity can be built up to the virus.  The reinfected patient had no known health problems or immune defects that would make him particularly vulnerable to COVID-19.  He first exhibited symptoms in late March and tested positive three weeks later,  He fully recovered by the end of April, and tested negative on two further occasions in early/mid-May.  However, he began to show symptoms again on May 28, testing positive on June 5.

Scientists say the patient caught the coronavirus twice, rather than the original infection becoming dormant and then bouncing back.  A comparison of the genetic codes of the virus taken during each bout of symptoms showed they were too distinct to be caused by the same infection.

"Our findings signal that a previous infection may not necessarily protect against future infection," said Dr Mark Pandori, from the University of Nevada.  "The possibility of reinfections could have significant implications for our understanding of Covid-19 immunity."  He said even people who have recovered should continue to follow guidelines around social distancing, face masks and hand washing.

Scientists are still grappling with the thorny issue of coronavirus and immunity.   So far, reinfection seems to be rare - there have been only a few examples out of more than 37 million confirmed cases.  Reports in Hong Kong, Belgium and the Netherlands said they were no more serious than the first.  One in Ecuador mirrored the Nevada case in being more severe, but did not need hospital treatment  However, it is still early into the pandemic, and the history of other types of coronavirus means immunity against the virus can expected to eventually wear off.