Three times since July 2020 and twice after being vaccinated earlier this year, a 26-year-old Mulund physician has been positive for Covid-19, according to Malathy Iyer.
“The reinfections are confusing,” said Dr. Shruthi Halari, whose swab samples have been collected for genome sequencing as part of a citywide study on breakthrough infections (occurring after a person is vaccinated).
While there are no clear answers for why the doctor got Covid thrice, doctors told TOI that the reasons could range from SARS2 variants to her immunity levels to an incorrect diagnostic report (through RT-PCR is the gold standard for Covid-19 testing, it has a sensitivity of around 70%-75%).
Reinfections among doctors have been reported across the world, with a couple of studies from within Mumbai hospitals as well. However, reinfections cannot be proved until swab samples from the two (or more) infections are compared using genetically sequencing.
