There is no need to worry about the relapse of COVID-19 infection in a person who has tested negative, said Debprasad Chattopadhyaya, director, ICMR National Institute of Traditional Medicine.
This is following panic in Belagavi after a person tested positive a week after he had tested negative in quarantine. The patient was readmitted in the district hospital and discharged after four days.
Patient-298, who was “briefly discharged” after the first admission, tested negative twice before he tested positive again. The 50-year-old patient from Kudachi who was suffering from a heart ailment went to the hospital where he was advised a re-test. He tested positive and was readmitted. However, he is at home now, and a taluk medical officer from Raibag, said he was stable.
“Relapse shows that the virus is losing its aggressiveness and pathogenic character. It is a positive sign. There is no need to worry about it,” said Dr. Chattopadhyaya. According to him, the virus can stay up to 37 days in the human body. However, its pathogenic quantum, referred to as viral load, can reduce or increase depending on immunity of the person. “It is possible that a person who tests negative can test positive again, depending on the multiplication of virus or a temporary reduction in his immunity,” he said.
