KOTTAYAM: Even as community transmission of the novel coronavirus looms large over Kerala, the state is facing another possible threat — reinfection. Over the past three days, two overseas returnees — one from Sharjah and the other from Abu Dhabi — have tested positive in the state after they had recovered from Covid-19 abroad.While there are no medical documents available to verify the details of their treatment overseas, health experts suggest two possibilities for the development. They could be cases of either viral remnants or reinfections. “Viral remnant is a situation where the virus remains dormant even after recovery, but it won’t be dangerous as there is little infectivity power,” said Dr Vyas Sukumaran, district project manager, National Health Mission, Kottayam.
“In most cases, this will be a dead virus. We had some cases here earlier where persons tested positive 40 or 50 days after returning from abroad or other states. To confirm reinfection, a detailed study—including culturing of the virus — is required. If it is a live virus, it will have infectivity power,” Dr Vyas said.
‘Officials to test primary contacts of 2 expatriates’
According to details released by the health department, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in a 27-year-old Paipad native on May 10 in Sharjah and she took treatment there. After her test results turned negative in June, the woman landed in Kerala on June 19. However, she developed symptoms after arrival and a Covid test conducted on July 2 confirmed the presence of the virus in her body. She has been admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Kottayam.
Similar is the case with a 30-year-old man from Erattupetta who recovered from the infection after receiving treatment in Abu Dhabi. He returned to Kerala on June 30. Though the result of his antibody test in Abu Dhabi showed negative, the antibody test conducted at the Kochi airport turned positive and was directed to undergo institutional quarantine in Kalamassery. With the RT PCR test confirming Covid on July 3, he was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Ernakulam.
A major challenge before the authorities is that the virus can be cultured only in high-security laboratories, with the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune being the only such facility available in the country. Also, the health department does not have access to medical records to verify the treatment details shared by these patients.
“We have checked for antibodies in the two persons and also conducted the RT-PCR tests to confirm the infection. We will test their primary contacts too,” Dr Vyas said. The government has to decide, after discussions at various levels, whether to move ahead with the complex procedures required for the confirmation of reinfection.