Can someone get infected by coronavirus second time? Here’s what experts say

world

Updated: Mar 05, 2020 13:24 IST

The rise in coronavirus cases across the globe has left the public astonished with a flurry of queries sprouting around the virus that scientists know very little about.

While the internet is flooded with the dos and don’ts on the infectious virus, not many know if a person infected with coronavirus can get it again after recovering.

A report by China Global Television Network (CGTN) said that Chinese health officials are discussing the possibility of coronavirus relapse in patients who successfully recover.

According to the report, China’s National Health Commission has said that recovered coronavirus patients can contract the virus again.

Lu Qingyuan, director of pneumonia prevention and treatment at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital had said that although coronavirus antibodies will be generated in certain cases, they cannot last long. There remains a possibility of some patients suffering a relapse even after completely recovering, Qingyuan said.

However, further analysis is required to confirm the possibility of a relapse in all coronavirus cases. Experts still don’t know enough about the virus to say whether infected people, once recovered, gain full immunity to stave off the virus in the future. It is difficult to access how strong and long-lasting are the antibodies in an infected person’s body for the infection to not occur again.

Meanwhile, China has approved the use of Swiss drugmaker Roche’s anti-inflammation drug Actemra for patients who develop severe complications from the coronavirus as it urgently hunts for new ways to combat the deadly infection that is spreading worldwide, news agency Reuters reported.

China is hoping that some older drugs could stop severe cytokine release syndrome (CRS), or cytokine storms, an overreaction of the immune system which is considered a major factor behind catastrophic organ failure and death in some coronavirus patients.

Coronavirus has infected nearly 30 people in India, no loss of life has been reported. Globally, more than 3,000 people have been killed with thousands infected in over 70 countries.