Over 90 people who fully recovered from the novel coronavirus have tested positive for COVID-19 again,says Health Authorities, Seoul on Friday.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), said a total of 91 people had tested positive for the new coronavirus after they were released from quarantine .
According to the KCDC Director-General Jeong Eun -kyeong, a viral test on such cases was underway, with the results expected at least two weeks later, unlike regular swab tests used to test for COVID-19 that shows results in a relatively shorter time.
“We are isolating viral cells from respiratory organs of those who have tested positive for COVID -19 again ,” he said.
However, the KCDC stated that it was also looking into whether those who retested positive had an antibody that would indicate whether they had recovered, as some health experts said immune people with the antibody were not contagious .
Speaking further, Health Authorities in Seoul said that the virus was highly likely to have been reactivated, instead of the people being reinfected, as they tested positive again in a relatively short time after being released from quarantine .
Other virologists and epidemiologists also said the positive results from the retesting might have come from the virus reactivating and not from wrong diagnoses .
They also mentioned that the COVID-19 could remain latent in certain cells in the body and attack the respiratory organs again once reactivated .
Meanwhile, a COVID-19 patient is deemed fully recovered after showing negative results for two tests in a row, performed within a 24 -hour interval.
