No clinical sign of COVID reinfections in The Bahamas

Nassau, Bahamas: There has been none clinical proof to support reinfection of COVID-19 in The Bahamas, according to Dr Nikkiah Forbes, director of the National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme.

Forbes also added that reinfections are not a general phenomenon based upon what has been reported globally by experts.

There are potent criteria about how you determine if someone is reinfected, including phylogenetic studies and that needs to be done; this is the gold standards.

He also pointed out by saying that there are many centres of excellence that are viewing at this and looking at their populations.

"The standard that is applied is phylogenetic studies to determine that someone with COVID symptoms, who have tested positive, does, in fact, have reinfection, and a certain period of time has to go by. And I don't believe that was met." Dr Nikkiah Forbes said.

"So, I think we should use caution, on and there are standards for these things that haven't been applied in these cases." FOBESadded.

In the month of October, former Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands stated that there were at least two cases reinfected with the virus, noting the patients were tested after retrieving with negative results, and following an intervening period of being asymptomatic, the patients subsequently tested positive.

Forbes also alerted that there is a possibility of reinfection so we cannot take it so granted.

Explaining what constitutes reinfection, Andhra Medical College (AMC) Principal Dr PV Sudhakar said a case could be termed reinfection only if the COVID-19 presence occurs a second time at least 90 to 120 days post-recovery from the first instance of contraction of the virus.

While there have been several cases in India of patients complaining of the same COVID-19 symptoms a few weeks after an apparent recovery and requiring treatment, these cases were not declared reinfections as the patients had comorbidities and metabolic disorders, making it possible for the issues to have traces of the previous infection.