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“An apparently young and healthy patient had a second case of COVID-19 infection which was diagnosed 4.5 months after the first episode,” University of Hong Kong researchers said in a statement issued Monday, Aug. 24.
The researchers said they are unsure if the man was a "persistent carrier" of the virus from his previous infection.
The man, a 33-year-old IT worker, was first diagnosed positive in April. He tested COVID positive again in an airport screening after returning from Spain earlier this month. He had no symptoms the second time around.
“Many believe that recovered COVID-19 patients have immunity against re-infection because most developed a serum neutralizing antibody response," the researchers said. "However, there is evidence that some patients have waning antibody level after a few months.
“Our findings suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) may persist in the global human population as is the case for other common cold-associated human coronaviruses, even if patients have acquired immunity via natural infection."
Studies from larger numbers of cases over time are needed before making any definitive conclusions or jumping to conclusions, said Maria van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s technical lead on COVID-19, after the announcement by the Hong Kong researchers.
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