COVID-19 reinfection: ICMR says India taking 100 days cut-off period, contacting cases

As concerns mount over novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) reinfection, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said it is hanging on a cut-off of about 100 days and gathering more data to study the phenomena. The body said there are three confirmed cases of reinfection in the country and it is trying to establishing contacts with those reportedly sick for the second time by the virus which causes COVID-19.

"The first reinfection case was reported in Hong Kong. Subsequently, few cases were identified in India — two in Mumbai and one in Ahmedabad. WHO data says there are about two dozen (confirmed) reinfection cases in the world. We are looking at the ICMR database and finding out those who have had reinfection and establishing telephonic contact with them," ICMR DG Dr. Balram Bhargava told reporters in a press briefing on Tuesday.

"The criteria to identify a reinfection case is somewhere between 90 and 100 days but is still not decided by the WHO. However, we're taking a cut-off of about 100 days. Four months, that is what we assume as the life of antibodies. The study is a work in progress," he added.

According to government data, COVID-19 caseload in India stands at 71,75,881 as of October 13, including 8,38,729 active cases, 62,27,296 cured/discharged/migrated cases and 1,09,856 deaths.

Health Min says misclassification

On Sunday, Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan had said that SARS-CoV-2 reinfection is still not a serious issue as most of these cases have been "mislabelled" as reinfections. He said that such cases in India were negligible at the moment and were being studied by an expert panel of ICMR.

"Even though there are various reports of re-emergence of Covid-19 cases, careful analysis of ICMR has revealed that many of these cases have actually been misclassified as reinfections... ICMR is actively investigating and researching reports of reinfection and although the number of reinfection cases is negligible at this moment, the government is fully seized of the importance of the matter," Vardhan said in during his virtual interaction. He stressed that actual reinfection would mean a fully recovered person getting infected with a freshly introduced virus.

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More severe symptoms on reinfection: Study

Meanwhile, a study confirming the first confirmed case of reinfection with the virus in the US said that COVID-19 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 for a second time might experience more severe symptoms. The study, published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, found evidence that an individual with no known immune disorders or underlying conditions was infected with the virus in two separate occurrences.

According to the scientists, including those from the University of Nevada in the US, the patient, a 25-year old male, was infected with two distinct SARS-CoV-2 variants within a 48-day time frame, while testing negative in between infections. The study noted that the patient's second infection was more severe, resulting in hospitalisation with oxygen support, indicating previous exposure to COVID-19 may not translate to guaranteed total immunity.

The patient tested negative for the virus after testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 in April 2020, the researchers said. Then in June 2020, after experiencing severe COVID-19 symptoms, including fever, headache, dizziness, cough, nausea, and diarrhea, the patient was hospitalised and tested positive for a second time. The patient has since been discharged from the hospital and has recovered from the second infection, the study noted.

Photo: PIB

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