A Rare Case of Persistent COVID-19 Infection With Aspergillosis in a 12-Year-Old Child

Abstract

At the end of 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first detected in Wuhan. In March 2020, COVID-19 became a global pandemic. Saudi Arabia registered the first case of COVID-19 on March 2, 2020. COVID-19 can affect any organ in the body. It affects the respiratory system predominantly. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is used to diagnose COVID-19, and the preferred swab is the nasopharyngeal swab. The shedding of the virus continues for about 20 days after the onset of the symptoms. There may be prolonged shedding in a few cases without any symptoms. Viral cultures are used for the confirmation of the shedding. Although the preferred mode of diagnosis is RT-PCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay helps in the diagnosis of antibodies. Here, we report a rare case of prolonged viral shedding for more than 14 weeks. The patient had a prolonged COVID-19 infection, which caused immunosuppression, following which the patient presented with an infection.