Thread by @DrDenaGrayson

‼️First #COVID19 death confirmed in a person *REINFECTED* with the #coronavirus.

Although other #SARSCoV2 reinfections have been confirmed, this is the 1st DEATH after reinfection known in the world.

<Thread>

#COVID19 #WearAMask
cnn.com/2020/10/13/eur…

The elderly woman had Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (rare blood cancer) & was receiving therapy to deplete B cells that make antibodies ("humoral immunity"). However, her T cells, which work to kill virus-infected cells (cell-mediated immunity), should NOT have been affected.🦠

The woman was initially admitted into hospital earlier this year with a severe cough + fever and tested positive for the #coronavirus. She was discharged 5 days later when "besides some persisting fatigue, her symptoms subsided completely."

#COVID19 #Reinfection

Two days into chemotherapy treatment–59 days after the start of her 1st #COVID19–she developed fever, cough + shortness of breath and tested positive for #coronavirus. No antibodies were detected in her blood. Her condition deteriorated on day 8, and she died 2 weeks later.

She was not tested for #coronavirus between infections, so there are no confirmed negative tests. However, the genetic makeup of the 2 viruses are different, so researchers concluded: "it is likely that the second episode was a reinfection rather than prolonged shedding."🦠

There have been other reports of reinfection: a 33-year-old man in #HongKong was the 1st confirmed to have been infected by the #coronavirus twice.

He was reinfected 4.5 months after his 1st infection & had no #COVID19 symptoms during his 2nd infection, suggesting some immunity.

Most recently, a 25-year-old in #Nevada became the 1st in the US confirmed to have been reinfected with the #coronavirus. He tested positive in April and again in June, showing #COVID19 symptoms both times, such as sore throat, cough, headache, nausea, and diarrhea.

#WearAMask

The man had no underlying health conditions but similar to the Dutch woman, he suffered more severe #COVID19 the 2nd time. Unlike the Dutch woman, the man survived and developed a measurable antibody response after the 2nd episode.

#coronavirus #WearAMask

Although a recent study in #Iceland showed that antibodies to #SARSCoV2 did not decline within 4 months after infection, reinfections of seasonal human coronaviruses (common cold) occur as early as 6 months post-infection with frequent reinfections after 12 months post-infection.

Bottom line:

▶️Reinfection with #SARSCoV2, albeit rare thus far, now confirmed multiple times
▶️Prior infection is no guarantee of immunity
▶️No one knows how long immunity to this new #coronavirus will last, posing implications for a #vaccine

BE SAFE and #WearAMask

#COVID19

Link to a pre-print of the paper accepted for publication in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.👇🏼

dutchnews.nl/wpcms/wp-conte…