Japanese Woman Recovered From Covid-19 Confirmed As Patient Again For A Second Time
A successful recovery from Covid-19 seems like a happy ending, but it seems that the saga is far from over.
On Thursday (27 Feb), Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported that a Japanese woman was confirmed as a new Covid-19 case for the second time.
Before this, she was already declared as a successful recovery and had been discharged. This is the first case of reinfection in Japan.
Japanese woman infected with Covid-19 for the second time
A woman in her 40s got discharged from a hospital in Osaka on 1 Feb. She successfully recovered from Covid-19, according to CNA.
Unfortunately, the tale was far from over because she tested positive again on Wednesday (26 Feb). She experienced sore throat and chest pains, weeks after her recovery.
In Japan, this is the first time that a discharged patient, tested positive for Covid-19 twice.
Virus could remain dormant
Philip Tierno Jr, professor of microbiology and pathology at NYU School of Medicine, explains,
It could remain dormant and with minimal symptoms, and then you can get an exacerbation if it finds its way into the lungs.
At the moment, Prof Tierno is not sure if the disease and symptoms seem to disappear before it recurs.
Meanwhile, Singapore’s health experts claim that reinfection is less likely to occur because of the country’s 28-day hospitalisation policy for patients.
Postponing Tokyo Olympics
The outbreak has threatened the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in July.
As cases of Covid-19 continue to soar, Prof Tierno suggests,
The Olympics should be postponed if this continues.
He suggested drastic measures because people can quickly get and spread the infection.
Japan is currently battling the virus by slowing its spread and minimising casualties.
Keep calm then wash your hands
Getting infected with Covid-19 twice is a terrifying possibility.
While local healthcare professionals have implemented stringent measures, we’re hoping that no similar cases will occur close to home.
In the meantime, keep calm and wash your hands. If a vaccine comes soon, we might be able to eradicate the outbreak.
Featured image adapted from Twitter and is for illustration purposes only.
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