Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science

A startling number of coronavirus patients get reinfected

Patients in the Guangdong province were tested positive again with the virus.

Fermin Koop by Fermin Koop
February 26, 2020
in Diseases, Environment, Health, News, Science

While China’s draconic containment methods have proven fairly effective, COVID-19 continues to rear its head in other parts of the world.

To make matters even worse, a new layer of complexity has just been announced by Chinese authorities: a group of patients that had recovered from the virus tested positive again in follow-up controls.

Controls of coronavirus in China have become routine in many parts of the country. Image credits: Wikipedia Commons

A report by the health authority in China’s Guangdong province, the country’s most populated province with 113 million people, said that 14% of the patients that had recovered from the coronavirus showed new signs of it in later check-ups.

In other words, over 1 in 10 people that got rid of the virus got infected again. While this has not yet been confirmed or fully understood, it makes for a startling figure.

Song Tie, deputy director of the Guangdong Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said to local media they are still trying to understand the phenomenon but preliminarily linked it to patients not being fully recovered from lung infections, which could explain the positive test of the virus. This might not mean that the patients did not get reinfected, but rather did not get rid of the virus completely in the first place.

In order to be released from a hospital in China, patients have to test negative twice in throat or nose swabs test, as well as having a scan that shows no lung lesions and reporting no clear symptoms as fever — based on the National Health Commission guidelines.

The cases with reinfection of coronavirus were detected on People’s Hospital Nº 8 in Guandong. A total of 13 discharged patients tested positive again but didn’t show renewed symptoms, according to Li Yueping, director of the intensive care unit at the hospital.

The tests were done from anal swabs, a method not used much in other parts of China. But there’s a reason behind it: the virus was found in fecal samples in research done by Guangzhou Medical University, and since then hospitals in Guandong have started doing anal swab tests.

The 13 patients that tested positive are now under observation at the hospital, while new tests are being done to understand the reasons for the incidence. New controls and monitoring will also be implemented on discharged patients, who will be more closely checked on.

Other provinces of China have also started reporting cases of patients testing positive again. A patient was readmitted in the city of Chengdu at Sichuan provinces after testing positive, while other cases were also found in the province of Hainan, located in southern China.

It’s still not clear how impactful reinfection can be, but it is something that should be considered as authorities work to contain and combat the virus.

Across China, 80% of the cases are mild, and 14% are severe. The rest 6% become critically ill. The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday praised China’s “ambitious” and “agile” measures to contain the virus, which likely saved thousands of lives. Innovative technology has been implemented such as drones and apps.

Outside China, many countries have reported large numbers of cases. Almost 1,000 are in South Korea, 270 in Italy, and 160 in Japan. Brazil reported yesterday the first case in South America as well. More than 2% of all of the cases are now estimated to be in other countries than China.

Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Related posts:
  1. A startling number of COVID-19 patients suffer lasting heart damage
  2. South Korea reports a startling number of COVID-19 reinfections
  3. Startling alien hand syndrome: when the hand has a mind of its own
  4. A startling number of Japanese are virgins, and this is a problem
  5. Startling NASA photo reveals 300-foot-wide rift in Antarctic Ice Shelf
Tags: chinacoronavirus

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW