The First Case of COVID-19 Reinfection in Duhok City, Kurdistan Region of Iraq: A Case Report

Abstract

Introduction: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) causes a severe acute respiratory syndrome and is known as coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which was first discovered in December, 2019 in Wuhan, China. The question of whether the COVID-19 patients that recover from the disease acquire immunity or are still susceptible to reinfection remains unanswered. Case Presentation: In this study, we presented the case of a 46-year-old male who recovered from the first round of COVID-19 infection. After symptom resolution, two consecutives negative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests confirmed the negativity of the patient. Seven weeks after the first infection, the patient presented with fever and dry cough, and the infection was confirmed using real-time RT-PCR. The reinfection was associated with more severe symptoms, which required antiviral treatment. Conclusions: Our study indicated the possibility of COVID-19 reinfection. If the occurrence of reinfections is confirmed, it may implicate changes in the vaccine and community-based disease prevention strategies. Further studies are required to confirm the possibility of COVID-19 reinfection.