Recovered Delhi cop tests coronavirus positive again

New Delhi: The case of a Delhi policeman having a relapse of the novel coronavirus has baffled experts and the doctors treating him and has raised the question whether a recovered patient can contract the infection again.

The policeman, 50, had tested positive for the virus in May and was treated at the Indraprastha Apollo hospitals between May 15 and 22. Thereafter, he had tested negative and resumed duty.

However, on July 10, he again felt unwell with a fever and dry cough and got himself tested on July 13. The report came positive through the rapid antigen test as well as the RT-PCR test, said Dr Rajesh Chawla, Senior Consultant, Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Apollo Hospitals.

The policeman, who has no other underlying ailment, complained of chest pain on July 16 and was admitted to the hospital, the senior doctor said, adding that he is stable and his vitals are being monitored.

"The first time he was tested for coronavirus, he had no symptoms. There was a camp in the hospital and since his friend got tested, he also got tested and came positive, he told PTI. The second time the policeman was tested for antibodies too, but it was found that he did not have antibodies," he said.

What could be the reasons for the relapse of infection? "If it was within a month," said Dr Chawla, "I would have said that it was a dead virus that was giving a positive result. But that is not the case.

The other thing could be that it was a false positive when he was tested the first time, although it is very rare in RT-PCR test but still it can occur. The third, of course, is reinfection because he did not have antibodies. I have not seen any other such patient," he said.