Bengaluru: First reinfection case reported in city hospital

Bengaluru: In what could be the first case of a coronavirus re-infection in Karnataka, a 27-year-old woman has again been found positive for the disease after her treatment and discharge, a private hospital in Bengaluru said on Sunday.

The 27-year-old was tested positive in July after she showed mild symptoms of fever and cough. She was admitted in Fortis Hospital in Bannerghatta Road in the city. She completely recovered after treatment and subsequently discharged from the hospital on July 23.

In the first week of August, she again showed mild symptoms of cold, cough and fever. Upon conducting tests, it was found that she was Covid-19 positive. In a statement, Fortis Hospital management claimed that this is possibly the first reinfection reported in Bengaluru.

Dr Pratik Patil, consultant, Infectious Diseases, Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road, said, "In the first week of July, the patient was symptomatic and was tested positive. She was admitted at the hospital and recovered well. A repeat test was conducted on her, which turned out to be negative, post which she was discharged on July 24. However, nearly after one month, in the last week of August, she developed mild symptoms again and was tested positive. Both the times she showed mild symptoms. This is possibly the first reported case of Covid reinfection in Bangalore." Meanwhile, Indian Council of Medical Research says this should be treated as a rare case. Dr Giridhar Babu from ICMR, Research Task Force said, "It is a rare case. It has come to notice after 3.8 lakh confirmed Covid cases. The good news is that the second infection is less severe than the first. It is difficult to establish reinfection. Studies in future can tell about the extent of reinfection," he said.

"Normally, in case of infection, the Covid Immunoglobulin G antibody is tested positive after 2-3 weeks of infection. However, in this patient, the antibody has been tested negative, which means she did not develop immunity after infection. A reinfection case means that the antibodies may not be produced in every individual or if they do develop, they may not last enough, triggering reinfection," Dr Patil stated.

However, the government did not yet confirm if this was the first case of re-infection in the state.