This archive report was first published on 25 August 2020.
Published on August 25, 2020, a study by researchers at the University of Hong Kong's department of microbiology has confirmed that a young and healthy man can catch the coronavirus again, even after recovering from the disease.
The 33-year-old male was initially cleared of COVID-19 and discharged from a hospital in April, but tested positive again after returning from Spain via the UK on August 15. The patient had appeared to be previously healthy, researchers said, and was found to have contracted a different coronavirus strain from the one he had previously contracted.
According to the study, the patient remained asymptomatic for the second infection, which was diagnosed 4.5 months after the first episode. The scientists say the case illustrates that reinfection can occur a few months after recovery from the first infection.
"The finding does not mean taking vaccines will be useless," Dr Kai-Wang To, one of the leading authors of the paper, told Reuters. "Immunity induced by vaccination can be different from those induced by natural infection," To said.
World Health Organisation (WHO) epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove said that there was no need to jump to any conclusions in response to the Hong Kong case, citing instances of people discharged from hospitals and testing positive again for COVID-19 infection in mainland China.
