(Eagle News) – The Department of Health said it has started research on possible reinfection of COVID-19 cases after noting two previous patients who had been discharged but were found to be positive again with the virus.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire admitted that two COVID-19 patients from the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao had been found to be positive with the virus after being discharged from the hospital.
“Patuloy po ang pag-aaral ng DOH at ng ating mga eksperto ukol sa posibilidad ng reinfection or reactivation ng COVID-19,” she said on Sunday, April 26.
“Wala pa pong sapat na ebidensya upang magbigay ng pahayag dito sa ngayon,” the DOH official added.
Citing a report from the hospital administration, Vergeire said that the two patients admitted at SPMC originally only had mild symptoms. They were discharged after both of them tested negative for the virus.
But after two weeks of home quarantine, swab tests revealed they were positive for COVID-19 again.
Because of this, they had to be admitted back to the hospital, Vergeire said.
The first patient has already been discharged after negative test results, while the second is still awaiting results of swab tests.
Both patients currently are in “good condition” the DOH said.
“Mabuti po ang kalagayan ng parehong pasyente,” she said.
Vergeire said that it was also possible that what triggered the second positive test result of the COVID-19 patients after they had already tested negative for COVID-19 was the remnants of the dead virus.
“Possible po na ang pangalawang bess ng kanilang pagpositibo ng test ay dahil nakita or na-detect ng ating PCR tests ang remnantns ng patay na virus sa kanilang katawan na di naman nakakahwa na. patuloy pa rin po ang pag-aaral tungkol dito,” she said in a virtual press briefing on Sunday, April 26.
(Eagle News Service)
