University of Minnesota Center for Disease Research (CIDRAP) issued a report on August 25, 2020. This confirmed more COVID-19 reinfections are turning up in Belgium and the Netherlands. And the second infection is different from the original one. This appears to suggest the epidemic may continue until our immune system gets a handle on it.
More COVID-19 Reinfections But the Virus is Different
The first clue came when Hong Kong University reported a man with a repeat infection passing through the airport. What’s concerning was that man’s virus was different from the second one. Then yesterday reports surfaced of two more COVID-19 reinfections from virologists working independently.
The case in Belgium had a mild infection in March 2020, which may have toned-down the second one in June. The virus for that second incident was however different by eleven mutations. The CIDRAP report cites the Belgian virologist saying ‘he wouldn’t be surprised to see more cases in the coming days.’ The Netherlands patient was an elderly man with a ‘weakened immune system’.
A Common Theme in Childhood Respiratory Tract Infections
A 2017 research paper in the U.S. National Library of Medicine reports a common theme in causes of viral reinfections among children. These common denominators include allergies, anatomical contributions, secondary immune deficiency, and an unusual burden of exposures.
Childhood infections occur up to eight times year in pre-teen years, but this factor halves by adulthood. Illnesses are commoner in winter, and more often with exposure to smokers. The researchers found repeated sinus infections, pneumonia, and bronchitis were common signs of immunodeficiency.
They went on to observe that ‘frequent bacterial infections of the respiratory tract are often a harbinger of antibody disorders, the most common type of primary immunodeficiency’. Therefore it seems possible that more COVID-19 reinfections will occur, because of immunodeficiency in certain individuals.
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Preview Image: John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center
