'Two +ve tests at interval of 102 days with one -ve defined as re-infection'

Two positive tests at an interval of at least 102 days with one interim negative test have been defined as SARSCoV2 reinfection by Indian scientists for establishing surveillance systems according to an ICMR study But a confirmation of the reinfection will require a whole genome sequencing it stated While SARSCoV2 reinfection is still a rare phenomenon Indian scientists have developed an easytouse epidemiological definition of reinfection for establishing surveillance systemsAccording to the study SARSCoV2 reinfection development of an epidemiological definition from India which has been published by Cambridge in the Epidemiology and Infection journal an investigation was conducted with the objective to develop an epidemiological case definition of possible SARS CoV2 reinfection and assess its magnitude in IndiaSARSCoV2 reinfection is an emerging concern and there is a need to define it the scientists highlighted Therefore working epidemiological case definition for reinfection was developed and its magnitude was explored via archivebased telephonic survey The epidemiological case definition for SARSCoV2 reinfection was developed from literature review of data on viral kinetics Reinfection with SARS CoV2 was defined as two positive tests at an interval of at least 102 days with one interim negative testDuring the archive based telephonic survey thirtyeight of the 58 eligible patients could be contacted with twelve 316 pc being healthcare workers Majority of the participants were asymptomatic and had higher Ct value during their first episode To conclude a working epidemiological case definition of SARS CoV2 reinfection is important to strengthen surveillance The present investigation contributes to this goal and records reinfection in 45 per cent of SARS CoV2 infected individuals in India the study stated Taking available evidence into consideration reinfection with SARS CoV2 in our study was defined as any individual who tested positive for SARSCoV2 on two separate occasions by either molecular tests or rapid antigen test at an interval of at least 102 days with one negative molecular test in between the study stated While SARSCoV2 reinfection is still a rare phenomenon there is a need for epidemiological definition of reinfection for establishing surveillance systems and this study contributes to such goal it saidSome respondents in the study had a symptomatic second episode as opposed to the first one The rate and duration of hospitalisation was not compared as during the initial phase of the pandemic in India all cases were being hospitalized for at least 14 days irrespective of symptom severity Currently there is no consensus regarding the working definition of reinfection based only on epidemiological features a resource intensive method like whole genome sequencing being the only confirmationIt is not logistically feasible to store the samples of millions of positive cases for future sequencing to identify an important phenomenon like SARS CoV2 reinfection the study said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC has considered the duration of 90 days between two positive SARSCoV2 RNA along with genomic evidence of reinfection as an investigative criterion to understand the phenomenon of reinfectionBoth CDC and European CDC suggested the use of genomic evidence for confirmation of reinfection However an epidemiological working definition will be more pragmatic and helpful to assess the magnitude of reinfection in most population and resource constrained settings While COVID19 reinfection is still rarely reported nonetheless immunity should not be assumed and public health measures such as physical distancing handhygiene and use of masks should be followed after recovery from first event of infection the study statedFurther welldesigned cohort studies must be undertaken to understand the natural history of COVID19 including its immunogenicity susceptibility to reinfection antibody dependent enhancement and the severity of reinfections It may also be suggested that the samples of healthcare workers may be stored for genomic analysis to study suspected COVID19 reinfections particularly in resource limited settings as chances of them encountering such events are higher due to potential highrisk occupational exposureThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever