Reinfected. When all this first started going, there was conversation about reinfection.

[LizBeth]

Then I started hearing that one could not be reinfected. A couple days ago I read in Japan a woman was infected twice. It seems pretty solid. Yet, I am not hearing any conversation about reinfection and to me that would be a big difference in the conversation. Has anyone else heard anything on this? Opinions?

https://edition.cnn.com/asia/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-02-27-20-intl-hnk/h_8adfa7d440622ec4a812da0cf5726e91?fbclid=IwAR1cEiweVKeD2NLACLXZwU4L0nWdxcQh0QDwNzqbTfl6c7f4kAaqhzoS1Cg

8:29 a.m. ET, February 27, 2020

Japanese woman reinfected with coronavirus weeks after initial recovery

From CNN's Junko Ogura in Tokyo

The 40-year-old woman, an Osaka resident, tested positive on Wednesday after developing chest pains and a sore throat, the prefectural government said in a statement. She first tested positive in late January and was discharged from hospital on February 1, after being treated for symptoms at a hospital in Osaka.

The Japanese Ministry of Health guidelines state that coronavirus patients must get tested twice before their release.

The woman had contact with tourists from Wuhan while working as a tour guide in mid-January. An Osaka prefectural official told CNN that she did not attend work, wore a mask at all times and did not have close contact with anyone while she was not in a medical facility.

[TwilightZone]

1. Some scientists think it's human error or false results.

"Scientists in and outside China agree that reinfection is a highly unlikely explanation for the patients who retest positive. They say testing errors are more likely to blame — either false negatives that resulted in patients being discharged too early, or false positives when they retested and were taken back into hospital.

Those errors could be attributed to contaminated test samples, human error while taking swabs, or an oversensitive nucleic acid test that detects strands of virus. When a person gets sick with any kind of viral infection, their immune system naturally develops antibodies that should protect them from contracting the illness again after they’ve recovered.

Even in cases where that immunity wears off, it shouldn’t be as quick as within a few days or weeks, said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, director of Hong Kong University’s School of Public Health.

“If you get an infection, your immune system is revved up against that virus,” he said. “To get reinfected again when you’re in that situation would be quite unusual unless your immune system was not functioning right.”"

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-03-13/china-japan-korea-coronavirus-reinfection-test-positive

[LizBeth]

5. I am glad I posted. This is good to hear. I have had this in back of mind last couple days.

I like this information a whole lot better. Thank you for this.

[TwilightZone]

7. The original report was more than two weeks ago.

I couldn't recall seeing anything more recent and your post made me wonder if there had been updates. I found that LA Times article and it seems that other scientists are thinking the same thing.

As someone noted below, if reinfection was a major problem, we'd be seeing Wuhan's numbers remain high, and they're not. (Assuming, of course, we're getting accurate data).

[LizBeth]

9. Right it was a while ago and just sitting in the back of my mind. Then I realized no one is

discussing it. Thought there ought to be a reason. Thanks.

[FBaggins]

2. Highly unlikely

It’s far more likely that one or both diagnosis were false positives.

[Takket]

3. also the cases in Wuhan have diminished.........

they had 80000+ cases there. if it was reinfecting people that number would be skyrocketing because no one would ever be getting better.

[LizBeth]

6. True that. If it really was an issue we certainly would be hearing way more about it.

Thank you.

I hadn't thought these thru so I appreciate people that have.

[TwilightZone]

4. Or false negatives, leading to them being discharged early.

"Scientists in and outside China agree that reinfection is a highly unlikely explanation for the patients who retest positive. They say testing errors are more likely to blame — either false negatives that resulted in patients being discharged too early, or false positives when they retested and were taken back into hospital."

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-03-13/china-japan-korea-coronavirus-reinfection-test-positive

[LizBeth]

8. Thanks everyone. I appreciate it. Already feel much better. When misinformed it can make life

that much more challenging. That is why Trump and his lying is so detrimental to this whole process. We gotta have the facts.

I am going to leave this up for anyone else that may have read the previous stuff, and will feel better reading the info in this thread.

[TwilightZone]

10. There's so much information and it's moving so quickly.

And just as much misinformation. Agree with you completely on Trump - he's contributed heavily to the problem, both with the delayed response, then in contradicting everyone else all the time. But then, that's pretty much his thing.

[LizBeth]

11. Yup.

[Dem2theMax]

12. I did read the previous thread.

And I'm very grateful to have just read this. I probably do have the virus, can't get a test, but I am certainly checking all the boxes, and feeling quite miserable.

I am just starting to feel the tiniest bit better. And my fear was that it could return. Thank goodness now I know that's not the truth. I am very relieved!

[LizBeth]

14. Ya cool. I hear ya. I was checking the box on a few but might be a cold. My son was excited and

wants me to get it out of the way. I think he is way concerned about me and wants to be done with it. This makes me feel better about getting it now so I am done. High five to you, glad you are starting to feel better. The vast majority of us will.

[boston bean]

13. One guy from the princess cruise ship has had positive tests for over a month.

[LizBeth]

15. Hmmm. I wonder what that is about.

[d_r]

16. I read that there

were two strains

[LizBeth]

17. There is that also. We heard a lot about that at the start and not hearing anymore for a while.

[Yonnie3]

18. I read an article about lung infection with COVID-19

While I cant find that article it was about a re-test positive patient. What my recollections are is that nasal and throat swabs are what is normally used. There is a third test that gets a sample from the lower lungs. It involves placing a tube into the lung and putting a solution into the lung. A sample of this wash is tested for the CoronaVirus. This patient tested negative in the upper respiratory swabs but then had a positive in the lower respiratory test.

This was written in medical terminology which is not my forte for sure. It does make sense to me that an infected individual could have a deeper infection.

Here is a link to a discussion of interest:

COVID-19 may spread in several different ways http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/03/study-covid-19-may-spread-several-different-ways

Here is a link to the JAMA article about a study of Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Different Types of Clinical Specimens:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762997

A snippet from this with my bolding:

In this study, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in specimens from multiple sites of 205 patients with COVID-19, with lower respiratory tract samples most often testing positive for the virus

[LizBeth]

19. Thank you for this information.

[Yonnie3]

20. it is all very preliminary with small sample sizes

I do believe it is better than anecdotes on twitter.

You are very welcome.

[crickets]

21. K&R for the post and the discussion.

I wondered about this too and am glad to see clarification about it.

[LizBeth]

22. Right.