Can you get coronavirus twice? Some who recovered in China are diagnosed a second time

Some patients in China who were released from the hospital after recovering from coronavirus have been diagnosed with COVID-19 a second time.

More than 100 people have gotten coronavirus twice in China, which is less than 0.2 percent of the country’s confirmed cases, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Scientists said the second diagnosis was more likely due to testing errors and not reinfection, The Los Angeles Times reported.



“If you get an infection, your immune system is revved up against that virus,” Dr. Keiji Fukuda, director of Hong Kong University’s School of Public Health, told The Los Angeles Times. “To get reinfected again when you’re in that situation would be quite unusual unless your immune system was not functioning right.”

An antibody is created when you’re infected with the virus but that doesn’t mean everyone is protected from getting it again, according to USA Today.



“However, in certain individuals, the antibody cannot last that long. For many patients who have been cured, there is a likelihood of relapse,” Li QinGyuan, director of pneumonia prevention and treatment at China Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing told USA Today.

Gregory Poland, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group told USA Today that the chance of getting coronavirus again is “very likely.”

According to Johns Hopkins University, there are over 137,000 cases globally and more than 5,000 people have died.

More than 69,000 people have also recovered from the virus, according to the data. The rest of the 63,000-plus cases are still active.

The WHO says those with mild symptoms usually recover “in about two weeks,” according to The Hill. People who have a “more severe illness” can be sick for up to six weeks.

This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Can you get coronavirus twice? Some who recovered in China are diagnosed a second time."