Chennai reports reinfection among healthcare staff, mostly asymptomatic

"There have been couple of cases of reinfection among healthcare staff. However, most of them are asymptomatic. There are reports that continuous exposure to the infection soon after recovery might have led to the reinfection. There are instances when antibodies in the body of the person recovering from coronavirus infection are not adequate to prevent reinfection," said a medical staff from Government Stanley Medical College Hospital.

Another doctor at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and Madras Medical College said that few doctors have become positive twice. However, the numbers are not recorded separately in case of reinfection.

"There are few cases of reinfection among doctors but most of them are asymptomatic. The treatment is being given as per protocol and these cases are being investigated," said Dr E Theranirajan, dean, Madras Medical College and Hospital.

When contacted, a senior official from the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine said several cases of reinfection among public and among healthcare workers have surfaced – majority of them from government hospitals in the State. "The cases need to be checked because it can be a challenge if the reinfection is on a largescale. The interventions are being done. It is very likely that these cases are false negatives," said the official.