Journal
TROPICAL MEDICINE AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE
Volume 6, Issue 2, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed6020041
Keywords
COVID-19; recurrence; reinfection; Bangladesh
Categories
Funding
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation [INV-017556]
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation [INV-017556] Funding Source: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study reports five cases of COVID-19 patients from Bangladesh who experienced a recurrence of the illness after 70 symptom-free days, indicating the risk of reinfection exists. The study emphasizes the need for ongoing COVID-19 vaccination and other preventive measures to better control the pandemic.
To date, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected over 80 million people globally. We report a case series of five clinically and laboratory confirmed COVID-19 patients from Bangladesh who suffered a second episode of COVID-19 illness after 70 symptom-free days. The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), is a leading public health research institution in South Asia. icddr, b staff were actively tested, treated and followed-up for COVID-19 by an experienced team of clinicians, epidemiologists, and virologists. From 21 March to 30 September 2020, 1370 icddr,b employees working at either the Dhaka (urban) or Matlab (rural) clinical sites were tested for COVID-19. In total, 522 (38%) were positive; 38% from urban Dhaka (483/1261) and 36% from the rural clinical site Matlab (39/109). Five patients (60% male with a mean age of 41 years) had real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) diagnosed recurrence (reinfection) of SARS-CoV-2. All had mild symptoms except for one who was hospitalized. Though all cases reported fair risk perceptions towards COVID-19, all had potential exposure sources for reinfection. After a second course of treatment and home isolation, all patients fully recovered. Our findings suggest the need for COVID-19 vaccination and continuing other preventive measures to further mitigate the pandemic. An optimal post-recovery follow-up strategy to allow the safe return of COVID-19 patients to the workforce may be considered.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available