A Nevada man caught the novel coronavirus twice, and the second infection was reportedly worse than the first one, according to BBC News.
- The man — who was 25 — was hospitalized after he suffered from breathing problems.
- He reportedly had no major health problems or immunity defects that would make him vulnerable to severe conditions of the novel coronavirus.
Details:
The situation is a part of a new case study published in the medical journal The Lancet.
Scientists said the Nevada man caught COVID-19 twice, and that it was not an example of the virus becoming less powerful and then creeping back up, according to BBC News.
- “Our findings signal that a previous infection may not necessarily protect against future infection,” said Dr. Mark Pandori, from the University of Nevada, according to The Boston Globe. “The possibility of reinfections could have significant implications for our understanding of COVID-19 immunity.”
The timeline
BBC News explained the rundown of events that led to the Nevada man getting COVID-19 twice.
- March 25 — He became symptomatic for the first time.
- April 18 — He tested positive for the first time.
- May 9 and May 26 — He tests negative for the virus.
- May 28 — He develops symptoms again.
- June 5 — He tests positive for the second time.
How did this happen?
Akiko Iwasaki, a professor of immunobiology at Yale University, told NPR the second infection can happen for a number of reasons:
- “There are many reasons why a person might get sicker the second time around.”
- “They may have been exposed to a lot higher levels of the virus the second time around.”