Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

February 19, 2021

Clinical and Laboratory Findings in Patients with Potential SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection, May-July 2020

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A clinical and laboratory investigation of potential SARS-CoV-2 reinfection reported to CDC by clinicians in the US did not confirm any cases of reinfection within 90 days of the initial infection, supporting current CDC guidance about retesting for people recovered from COVID-19. Among 73 potential reinfection patients with available records, 70% of patients either had recurrent COVID-19 symptoms explained by alternative diagnoses or remained asymptomatic after recovery but were incidentally found to have recurrent or persistent RT-PCR positivity through surveillance and contact investigations. The 19 patients who developed recurrent symptoms but did not receive an alternative non-COVID diagnosis were mostly healthcare workers. However, laboratory investigation of nine samples from this group could not confirm reinfection.

Lee et al. (Feb 18, 2021). Clinical and Laboratory Findings in Patients with Potential SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection, May-July 2020. Clinical Infectious Diseases. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33598716/