IRELAND HAS recorded its first official case of Covid-19 re-infection.
According to a paper published in the Irish Medical Journal (IMJ), a 40-year-old female healthcare worker contracted the virus for a second time having been first infected in April 2020.
Though her symptoms were not serious enough require to hospitalisation, the woman suffered with a fever, sore throat, headache, shortness of breath and temporary loss of taste and smell.
The paper states: “While never hospitalised, she was unfit for work for four weeks due to significant headaches and persistent fatigue lasting four months.”
She tested positive for the virus for a second time back in November after developing the symptoms associated with the coronavirus.
Her diagnosis was eventually confirmed using whole-genome sequencing.
In this second instance, her symptoms were also reported as being much milder while her recovery time was shorter too, with the patient requiring just two weeks off work in self-isolation.
She did report suffering a post-infection wheeze which was controlled using an inhaler.
The paper was keen to stress that cases of Covid-19 reinfection remain rare though further research is required in order to further examine the way immunity works.
“Infection control precautions may still be required in healthcare facilities while SARS-CoV-2 remains in circulation,” the search states.
“Further study into the level and duration of immunity conferred by both infection with and vaccination against SARS-Cov-2 (COVID-19) is required to inform future vaccination campaigns and infection prevention and control policy.”
The case study came as part of a paper published a team of clinicians from Beaumont Hospital, the RCSI, the UCD National Virus Reference Laboratory and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC).
According to HPSC data, there have been approximately 514 cases of coronavirus reinfection in Ireland since the pandemic began.
The case study can be read, in full, here.
