New study: Covid-19 reinfections may be more severe

A study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal revealed that Covid-19 patients may experience more severe symptoms the second time they are infected. FILE PHOTO. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

A study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal revealed that Covid-19 patients may experience more severe symptoms the second time they are infected. FILE PHOTO. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Published Oct 14, 2020

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CAPE TOWN - It is still not at all clear how long Covid-19 antibodies last. This development comes after a research paper released on Tuesday, confirming it is possible to catch the potentially deadly disease more than once.

A study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal revealed that Covid-19 patients may experience more severe symptoms the second time they are infected.

"We need more research to understand how long immunity may last for people exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and why some of these second infections, while rare, are presenting as more severe,"

"The possibility of reinfections could have significant implications for our understanding of Covid-19 immunity, especially in the absence of an effective vaccine," said Mark Pandori, for the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory and lead study author.

The paper noted four other cases of reinfection confirmed globally, with one patient each in Belgium, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Ecuador. This new development

of reinfection could have a profound impact on how the world battles through the pandemic, experts have warned.

In August, the

World Health Organization