A: Prior reports of individuals testing positive again after recovering from COVID-19 raised concerns that individuals were being re-infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Tests used to determine if someone has COVID-19, detect presence of the virus’s genetic material, but do not indicate whether a person is actively shedding virus capable of infecting cells-an indicator of active infection. A new study has shown, however, that samples from these individuals didn’t contain infectious virus particles, suggesting that individuals who tested positive weeks after recovering from COVID-19 did not have active infection at the time they were re-tested.
This is good news for the likelihood that individuals can be re-infected with the virus in the short-term. Researchers are still studying, however, the extent to which individuals gain longer-term immunity after infection. Stay tuned!
