2 ms·
> So far, evidence of reinfection with Covid-19 seems limited to a handful of people. Is there even enough evidence in those few cases that it was really a rei
by catdog 6y ago
> So far, evidence of reinfection with Covid-19 seems limited to a handful of people.
Is there even enough evidence in those few cases that it was really a reinfection? RT-PCR based tests are good but are not perfect after all, false positives happen.
- est31 6y agoThere is this person who had two genetically different COVID-19 strains (but presumably the same serotype, there's only one serotype of COVID-19 known) for the first and second infection, confirmed by whole genome sequencing: https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa1275 https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa1275
- djsumdog 6y agoAnd also, no one is reporting the number of test iterations that are being used for each positive result. There are people with very low viral loads, who are not contagious, that test positive. If you run a RT-PCT enough times, you can generate a match in many cases where someone has never had the virus. The inventor of the PCR (who passed away years ago) took great issue with the way PCR was being using incorrectly with HIV testing. Even today with HIV, PCR is often reported with a viral load number, so doctors can tell what amount of antiviral drugs are needed for patients, and to help identify long-term non-progressives (rare) who may not need drugs at all.