First case of COVID-19 reinfection in Bengaluru? Experts want detailed study

With reports of the first case of Covid-19 reinfection in Bengaluru surfacing, experts doubt such a possibility.
People walking without mask at City market in Bengaluru on Sunday. (Photo | Nagaraja Gadekal/EPS)
People walking without mask at City market in Bengaluru on Sunday. (Photo | Nagaraja Gadekal/EPS)

BENGALURU: With reports of the first case of Covid-19 reinfection in Bengaluru surfacing, experts doubt such a possibility.

The 27-year-old woman tested positive a month after she had recovered and discharged from hospital.

Experts say it is difficult to come to a conclusion in the absence of a virus culture test or her samples being tested at a Biosafety level 3 laboratory — both of which are pending.

A detailed probe needs to be conducted in this case, they say.

The woman had no history of comorbidities and tested positive on July 6. She was admitted to Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road. She had recovered well and was discharged on July 24.

However, in a span of one month, she developed mild symptoms again and was found to have contracted the infection again.

Dr Giridhar Babu, Head of Lifecourse Epidemiology at the Public Health Foundation of India and member of the Karnataka experts committee of Covid task force, said,

“This is an absolute rare occurrence of a rare infection. To establish that it has occurred, the diagnosis needs to be done through Biosafety level three (BSL-3) laboratory, which has not been done to confirm it. Meanwhile, in the absence of virus culture, it cannot be declared as a Covid-19 reinfection. Further, the Covid tests have a poor sensitivity and they can become positive or negative, which needs to be rechecked. A thorough study needs to be done in this case.”

Dr Satyanarayana Mysore, HOD of Pulmonology at Manipal Hospital, said, “Once we are exposed to the virus, we develop TCell immunity, which provides long-standing immunity to prevent further Covid infections. This aspect has not been commented on in this case.” Dr Pratik Patil, Consultant, Infectious Diseases, Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road, said, “Both Rapid Antigen Test and a RT-PCR test showed she was positive, which threw up possibilities of her being the first reported case of Covid-19 reinfection in the city. She was discharged on Sunday and a Covid test was not repeated before discharge, according to the new discharge policy.”

However, to cross check if it is actually the first case of reinfection in the city, Dr Pratik stated he has contacted the National Institute of Virology in Pune to get a virus culture done.

“We do not have the first sample to perform a virus culture when the woman was infected the first time as we weren’t sure about the reinfection.” Dr Anoop Amarnath, Member of States Critical Care Support Team said the CCST has looked into 15,000 cases and they have not reported any case of reinfection and this case needs to be studied in detail.

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