Man reinfected with COVID-19 in Hong Kong

World

Published: 2020-08-24 18:14

Last Updated: 2024-03-27 18:30


Man reinfected with COVID-19 in Hong Kong
Man reinfected with COVID-19 in Hong Kong

A 33-year-old man in Hong Kong is the first human to be reinfected with coronavirus after being infected with it four months earlier, according to scientists.

The findings, published by researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), could indicate serious implications for a successful vaccination or natural immunity.

Health experts said that although the findings are concerning, one case of reinfection is not enough to make generalised conclusions.

“An apparently young and healthy patient had a second case of COVID-19 infection, which was diagnosed 4.5 months after the first episode,” researchers at the HKU said on Monday.

The man had mild COVID-19 symptoms when he was infected with it for the first time, and showed no symptoms the second time, according to the New York Times newspaper.

The HKU research team said his sequences of genes have shown different results from the first time he was infected with the virus in April, compared to the latest infection.