Current meta‐analysis does not support the possibility of COVID‐19 reinfections

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) reinfections could be a major aggravating factor in this current pandemic, as this would further complicate potential vaccine development and help to maintain worldwide virus pockets. To investigate this critical question, we conducted a clinical meta‐analysis including all available currently reported cases of potential COVID‐19 reinfections. We searched for all peer‐reviewed articles in the search engine of the National Center for Biotechnology Information. While there are over 30,000 publications on COVID‐19, only about 15 specifically target the subject of COVID‐19 reinfections. Available patient data in these reports was analyzed for age, gender, time of reported relapse after initial infection and persistent COVID‐19 positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results. Following the first episode of infection, cases of clinical relapse are reported at 34 (mean) ± 10.5 days after full recovery. Patients with clinical relapse have persisting positive COVID‐19 PCR testing results until 39 ± 9 days following initial positive testing. For patients without clinical relapse, positive testing was reported up to 54 ± 24 days. There were no reports of any clinical reinfections after a 70‐day period following initial infection.

Systematic review and meta‐analysis of factors associated with re‐positive viral RNA after recovery from COVID‐19

“…Furthermore, recurrent cases could be due to the relapse disease from a similar or same strain causing the primary infection and the reinfection disease from the distinct strain from the one causing the original infection 21,22 . However, findings from a recent study did not support the possibility of COVID‐19 reinfection after a 70‐day period following the initial infection and the classification of relapse and reinfection was not detailed in individual studies, our findings might therefore support the evidence for COVID‐19 recurrence due to viral relapse 23 …”

Emerging COVID-19 reinfection four months after primary SARS-CoV-2 infection

“…Emerging COVID-19 reinfection four months after primary SARS-CoV-2 infection letter to the editor Taken this together a COVID-19 reinfection seems to be plausible in our patient 124 days after primary SARS-CoV-2 infection, although a recently published clinical meta-analysis including 15 single or cumulative case reports did not find any clinical reinfection after a 70-day period following first infection [1]. These findings are supported by animal studies demonstrating protection against reinfection in rhesus macaques after primary exposure to SARS-CoV-2 [2,3].…”

SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection among Healthcare Workers in Mexico: Case Report and Literature Review

“…Their argument for rejecting the possibility of reinfection is based on the fact that none of the reported cases has a difference of at least 90 days between one episode and another. Some possibilities for this event are considered: first, the presence of a secondary infection in the period where traces of viral RNA can still be found; second, the possibility of an inflammatory rebound due to an inappropriate immune response, which produces recurrence of clinical symptoms; third, prolonged viral persistence, sometimes accompanied by a false negative result in RT-PCR after the first episode; fourth, reactivation of the virus associated with risk factors such as host immunity, virological factors, type and degree of immunosuppression [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 38 , 39 ]. The scope of our work lies in the fact that we show cases that on average had a difference of at least 90 days, or more, between each episode.…”