Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

April 26, 2021

Re-Infection with SARS-CoV-2 in Patients Undergoing Serial Laboratory Testing

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  • A low frequency of SARS-CoV-2 re-infection (0.7%) was identified in a large cohort of patients (n = 9,119) who received serial tests at 62 health care facilities in the United States between December 1, 2019 and November 13, 2020. Re-infection was defined as two positive tests separated by an interval of more than 90 days along with confirmed resolution with two or more consecutive negative tests after the first positive test. Asthma (OR = 1.9) and nicotine or tobacco use (OR = 2.7) were associated with greater odds of re-infection. Re-infection appeared milder than initial infection in most cases. There were two deaths (3.2%) associated with re-infection.

Qureshi et al. (Apr 25, 2021). Re-Infection with SARS-CoV-2 in Patients Undergoing Serial Laboratory Testing. Clinical Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciab345