Catch Coronavirus Twice

[ClimbDad]

A friend of mine is an emergency doctor. She got Covid19 at the end of March, recovered after two weeks and went back to work. She came down with symptoms again on Friday and was confirmed positive today.

Opinion seems divided on reinfection. Has anyone else heard of this or experienced it themselves?

[Gunpowder]

Are you a journalist?

Anecdotally it seems as if convalescence takes ages with Covid and it seems to come in phases.

[DahliaDay]

so you're saying theres no immunity? interesting

[Gunpowder]

Sorry, posted too soon!

Did your friend test negative in between the positive tests?

[Wannabangbang]

Your friend could still have it from March

[WinterIsGone]

Did she have a positive test in March?

[Bargebill19]

If she tested positive twice ...
a) tests not that reliable.
b) longer recovery period than originally thought.
c) you don’t make antibodies in which case what the point of a vaccine?

I suspect there are other possibilities - I’m not a medic or scientist.

[Bargebill19]

Only suggestions as to what might have occurred -
D) never had it in the first place ?

[Spied]

Was she tested in March?

[ItsAllForYou]

Was she tested at the end of March?

[ZombieFan]

She never fully recovered. Plenty of people get better, then worse then better... It can go on for a really long time.

[ClimbDad]

She tested positive at the end of March, but never got a negative test in between. Could just be waves of a long infection.

[ZombieFan]

The BBC news had a story this morning of a man who had waves of relapses for 2 months before he recovered.

[Tangledyarn]

I started with symptoms at the beginning of march and there have been lots of ups and downs but still have some symptoms now so I think its more likely that she has the same infection, but its definitely not clear that we can't get it twice yet, which is a real worry as I'm asthmatic and still really struggling with my breathing so I feel super vulnerable now.

[emptyplinth]

How often was she tested? Most likely that she still has it from March.

[squiglet111]

So it's been 5 weeks....she probably still had it in her system and it never went again.

[Keepdistance]

They think in S korea that it tests positive still after a while but that the virus isnt live. As in its a fault with how the test works. Finding the fragments.

But i did see in china one of the repositives did have symptoms again. Theres a man in china quarantined for months for never consistently testing negative.
Also re sars1 there was apparently a person who never cleared the virus they had lymphoma and eventually died of it.

Has the dr been taking vitamin d?
I would recommend to try to clear the virus.


However with the possibility of reactivation or reinfection/never immunity is why the gov should have been much more careful. And definitely should be testing positive and recovered. We seem to be the only place that has loads of people wandering about who could still be infectious. As a minimum 7 days is very very unlikely to be enough.
And returning elderly to care homes still positive.

Does she have any immune issues. Have a look at the 30+ lungs threads. Definitely people feeling better /worse for months.

[Keepdistance]

Also raises huge issues re shielding people as

• they can never be safe until a vax
  
• if they go to a health care setting very likely to get infected if hcp are either contagious a lot longer or reactivation
  
• also need to point out that if my dp came round we could technically have covid on the packaging in the freezer

[Keepdistance]

Also raises huge issues re shielding people as

• they can never be safe until a vax
  
• if they go to a health care setting very likely to get infected if hcp are either contagious a lot longer or reactivation
  
• also need to point out that if my dp came round we could technically have covid on the packaging in the freezer

[Hagisonthehill]

She was lucky to be tested end of March as at that time you only got tested if admitted to hospital.Staff here with symptoms couldn't get tested that early.

[GenderApostate19]

blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2020/05/05/paul-garner-people-who-have-a-more-protracted-illness-need-help-to-understand-and-cope-with-the-constantly-shifting-bizarre-symptoms/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=socialnetwork

[ClimbDad]

Thanks. No immune issues that I’m aware of. When the South Koreans first started reporting the retest positives, they said 63 of the first 137 had become symptomatic again. I’ve seen the 40++ thread on here and lots of people on social media saying it can drag on.

Completely agree the government should have done more. We still don’t know enough about this virus. And still no guidance on how long to isolate for after recovery.

[ZombieFan]

And still no guidance on how long to isolate for after recovery

Huh? The advice for ages has been to isolate for at least seven days but also until the fever has gone.

[fallfallfall]

i've had chicken pox 3 times and despite immunizations and boosters can't get my rubella titre up either.
i wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the odd person can catch this twice.

[ClimbDad]

But lots of people don’t get a fever. Stomach problems, cough.

[LemonadeAndDaisyChains]

So has she tested positive twice, then?
Once in March, and now as well?
It sounds like she was never really fully recovered in the first place, it could have lingered for weeks/months before going completely.