Coronavirus Mutation Discovered by Chinese Researchers In Patient Who Remained Infectious For 49 Days

WHAT’S BEING CLAIMED:

• The Chinese military researchers reported that one coronavirus patient was found to be contagious for 49 days, the most extended incubation period of the virus.
• The patient experienced non-severe coronavirus-related symptoms but tests for the virus continued to give a positive result.
• Doctors treated the patient with plasma transfusion from people who have recovered from the virus.

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Chinese military researchers in Wuhan reported a “chronic” mutation discovery in coronavirus after a patient was found to be contagious for a record-breaking 49 days.

The coronavirus patient is a middle-aged man showing no severe coronavirus-related symptoms, but had a prolonged ability to infect others, South China Morning Post reports.

The patient had intermittent low fever with chills, breathing difficulties, but no coughing.

The body temperature of the patient had returned to normal after days of hospital care, but CAT imaging had shown lesions that had appeared on both lungs since admission.

The patient tests positive for coronavirus with diagnostic readings that show replicated nucleic acid, specific to the virus, comparable to test results from coronavirus patients with severe cases.

The patient was treated with a plasma transfusion from coronavirus patients who have recovered after prolonged observation of the case revealed that the conventionally-used therapy was not an effective treatment for the patient. Two days after the transfusion procedure, the test results came back negative for the virus.

This report is considered the most extended incubation period of the virus in one patient. The previous record was 37 days.

The Chinese issued a warning that other “chronically infected patients” could spread the virus to other people and cause a new outbreak if neglected because of non-severe symptoms.

These research findings were published on MedRxiv— a website for preliminary reports of scientific medical papers. However, the findings must still be peer-reviewed first for validation. This means that these reports should not be taken as a guide for clinical practice until further notice.

Source: New York Post