Some coronavirus patients are still testing positive after recovering

[Judi Lynn]

A series of reports a few weeks ago revealed a troubling detail about the novel coronavirus pandemic. Some patients who had been declared recovered after testing negative in hospitals puzzled physicians in China, Italy, Japan, and South Korea by retesting positive later.

Several explanations were offered for the patients that tested positive again, with scientists arguing these people might not be contagious. Instead, issues with test kits and human error might have been to blame. Also, some patients might have been discharged from hospitals too early to free up resources for severe cases.

An NPR report a few days ago said that second-time infections keep popping up in Wuhan, China, where the crisis began in late December 2019. Residents who had tested positive and then recovered tested positive again. And it’s not just a few cases. According to available data from several quarantine facilities in the city, anywhere from 5% to 10% of cured patients tested positive twice. These facilities keep patients under observation after their discharge. Some appear to be asymptomatic carriers, which implies they could still pass on the SARS-CoV-2 virus to other people.

NPR was in contact with four such individuals, including two doctors. One patient experienced severe COVID-19 symptoms and was hospitalized, while another only displayed mild symptoms and was quarantined in a special isolation center. But they tested positive again after recovery in a matter of a few days or a few weeks. It’s unclear which one tested positive weeks after being discharged.

More:
https://bgr.com/2020/03/31/coronavirus-cases-keep-testing-positive-after-covid-19-recovery/