Re-infection with coronavirus is possible in case of problems with the immune system. Director of the St. Petersburg Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology named after Pasteur, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Areg Totolyan announced this.
He currently has no conviction that re-infections are occurring, he said. Theoretically it is possible, the specialist noted.
“There is always a certain category of people who may not develop immunity as a result of a past illness or as a result of a vaccination,” RIA Novosti quoted him on December 20.
As the academician noted, these can be persons with an immunodeficiency state.
In addition, tests for coronavirus can show incorrect results and laboratory errors can occur. To make a second diagnosis, it is necessary to carry out a more detailed examination, Totolyan noted.
Earlier in December, five State Duma deputies re-infected with the coronavirus. On December 9, the head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova announced isolated cases of repeated COVID-19 disease in Russia.
As it became known earlier in December, it is possible to avoid contracting a new coronavirus infection if there is T-cell immunity. Such immunity is formed when a person has suffered another type of coronavirus. Specialized T cells also recognize COVID-19 and can protect against it.