Experts urge caution over ‘reinfected’ patient

CORONAVIRUS quarantine periods may need to be extended after a patient in Japan tested positive for the disease a second time, an expert has said.

It came as Shinzo Abe, the prime minister, asked Japan’s schools to close for a month and cancelled major sports fixtures, following criticism that his government’s response had been too cautious. It also appeared to be directed at heading off speculation that Japan might have to cancel the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled for July.

Katsunobu Kato, Japan’s health minister, said patient lists would have to be reviewed as a result of the suspected reinfection. A woman in her 40s from Osaka was first confirmed as having Covid-19 on Jan 29. She had been a guide on a tour bus with tourists from Wuhan, the seat of the outbreak. She was discharged when she tested negative on Feb 6, despite still having a cough. A week later, she showed no symptoms but returned to the doctor this week complaining of a sore throat and chest pains. On Wednesday, she tested positive.

A suspected reinfection has been reported in China, but this is the first known case in Japan. About three in 20 recovered virus patients in China’s Guangdong province have tested positive a second time this week, Chinese authorities said. Guangdong has diagnosed 1,350 cases, making it China’s second hardest hit area after Hubei province, which harbours Wuhan.

It is unclear if the virus lies dormant or if cured patients are being reinfected, said experts who urged caution about interpreting the reports. But epidemiologists warned it might mean quarantine periods would need extending.

Jonathan Ball, from Nottingham University, said of the “reinfected” patient: “I would be surprised if she was susceptible to reinfection. I would expect her immunity to protect her. I would say she either wasn’t truly negative or it was a technical issue.”