According to Professor Kholeka Mlisana, head of the Medical Microbiology Department at UKZN, South Africa has recorded 4,000 potential Covid-19 re-infections in 6.7 million laboratory tests conducted up until 6 January 2021.
Mlisana said that a re-infection is recorded when an individual is infected by Covid-19 and the illness subsequently resolves. Nevertheless, 90 days after the person is declared virus-free they subsequently report a second Covid-19 infection.
“Re-infections occur either when there has been an inadequate or short-lived immune response. As a result, when the next bout of infection comes, the individual succumbs to the infection,” Mlisana explained.
She also added that scientists in the country are studying the new Covid-19 variant and the possibility of re-infections.
“It could also be that the body has not been stimulated to the new variant and immune response and therefore you get re-infections,” she said.
Professor Salim Abdool Karim who is the Chairperson of the Covid-19 ministerial advisory committee said that the body’s natural antibodies are less effective against the new variant of the virus that was identified in South Africa last year, meaning those who have been infected can be re-infected.
“Current data suggests the new variant is not more severe and the published convalescent serum studies suggest that natural antibodies are less effective,” he said.
