Reinfection risk of novel coronavirus (CoVID-19): A systematic ‎review of current evidence

Abstract

BACKGROUND There is recently a concern regarding the reinfection and reactivation of previously reCoVered coronavirus disease 2019 (CoVID-19) patients. AIM To summarize the recent findings and reports of CoVID-19 reinfection in patients previously reCoVered from the disease. METHODS This study was a systematic review of current evidence conducted in August 2020. The authors studied the probable reinfection risk of novel coronavirus (CoVID-19). We performed a systematic search using the keywords in online databases. The investigation adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist to ensure the reliability and validity of this study and results. RESULTS We reviewed 31 studies. Eight studies described reCoVered patients with reinfection. Only one study reported reinfected patients who died. In 26 studies, there was no information about the status of the patients. Several studies indicated that reinfection is not probable and that post-infection immunity is at least temporary and short. CONCLUSION Based on our review, we concluded that a positive polymerase chain reaction retest could be due to several reasons and should not always be considered as reinfection or reactivation of the disease. Most relevant studies in positive retest patients have shown relative and probably temporary immunity after the reCoVery of the disease.

Effects of COVID-19 prevention procedures on other common infections: a systematic review

“…SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, was first reported in China in late 2019 and then spread out rapidly worldwide [ 35 ]. COVID-19 attracted worldwide attention as an international public health emergency and the first pandemic caused by a coronavirus [ 36 ].…”

Prior aerosol infection with lineage A SARS-CoV-2 variant protects hamsters from disease, but not reinfection with B.1.351 SARS-CoV-2 variant

“…VOC B.1.351 shows significant reduction of neutralizing titers in human convalescent serum [24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. The degree of protective immunity by previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans is currently unknown, but several reports suggest that reinfection does occasionally occur [31][32][33]. In the Syrian hamster model, homologous challenge resulted in reduced virus shedding and reduced replication in the lungs [34,35].…”

COVID-19: Is reinfection possible?

“…Scientific evidence on this subject is scarce, and most of the published studies are non-clinical. A systematic review, which included 35 clinical and non-clinical studies, suggests that humoral immunity (if non-persistent) and errors in the diagnosis of the disease should be considered when evaluating SARS-CoV-2 reinfection (SeyedAlinaghi et al, 2020[ 32 ]).…”