Reactivation of SARS-CoV-2 infection following recovery from COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction Many individuals test positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA after recovering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but the incidence of reactivation is unknown. We, therefore, estimated the incidence of reactivation among individuals who had recovered from COVID-19 and determined its predictors. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, patients with COVID-19 were followed up for at least 14 days after two consecutive negative SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction test results obtained ≥24 hours apart, and the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 reactivation was assessed. Results Of the 109 patients, 29 (27%) experienced reactivation, and seven (24%) of these were symptomatic. The mean period for the real-time PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 from negative to positive results was 17 days. Compared with patients without reactivation, those with reactivation were significantly younger and more likely to have a lymphocyte count of <1500/µL (odds ratio [OR]: 0.34, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.12–0.94) and two or fewer symptoms (OR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.07–0.55) during the initial episode. Conclusion Risk-stratified surveillance should be conducted among patients who have recovered from COVID-19.

Persistence of symptoms after improvement of acute COVID19 infection, a longitudinal study

“…Numerous studies have reported that one or more symptoms of COVID‐19 persist for more than a month after recovery. 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 Fatigue and dyspnea have been reported as the most common persistent complaints after recovery from COVID‐19. 4 , 7 Several studies have indicated that the persistence of symptoms is not linked to a certain age, gender, or severity of the disease.…”

“…Re‐infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) has been reported in several studies. 5 , 6 The severity of the second attack varies over all the studies. Prado‐Vivar et al 5 reported that the second infection is more severe than the first one while Chen et al 6 documented that 75% of patients with re‐infection were asymptomatic.…”

Clinical features and corresponding immune function status of recurrent viral polymerase chain reaction positivity in patients with COVID-19 : A meta- analysis and systematic review

“…The literature search revealed a total of 4833 related articles. After removal of duplicates and application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 22 articles 5 – 26 remained. The detailed process of study screening is shown in Figure 1 .…”

Risk of severe COVID-19 infection in International Space Station astronauts despite routine pre-mission measures

“…The findings of new studies clearly support the key idea discussed in our article, “Can Reactivation of SARS-CoV-2 Decrease the Chance of Success of Future Deep Space Missions?” 2 . Regarding reactivation, a recent study 6 showed that among 109 patients, 29 experienced reactivation (27%), and seven of these were symptomatic (24%). Given this consideration, during a long-term space mission, when the immune system starts to weaken, the dormant infection may progress to a severe infection.…”