91 recovered coronavirus patients in South Korea who previously tested negative have tested positive for the disease again, raising serious questions over health experts understanding of the pandemic. This report by South Korea is being taken seriously by the medical community and has prompted fears the virus may remain active in patients for much longer than was previously thought.
Many countries were hoping that infected populations will develop sufficient immunity to prevent a resurgence of the pandemic. This announcement by South Korea is now of international concerns.
Some of the patients testing positive again showed no symptoms, while others were suffering from fevers and respiratory issues, according to the Financial Times.
The Geneva-based WHO, when asked about the report from Seoul, said in a brief statement: “We are aware of these reports of individuals who have tested negative for Covid-19 using PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing and then after some days testing positive again. reports by the guardian
It is important to note that South Korea had one of the worst outbreaks outside China in the early stages of the coronavirus spread and was previously hailed for its swift control of the disease and its implementation of a mass-scale testing regime which halted the spread of the virus and led to a far lower fatality rate than the global average.
South Korea used a combination of measures including transparent reporting, mass-testing, social distancing and extensive contact tracing to bring the situation under control over the past two months.
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