Possible COVID-19 Reinfection in Two Healthcare Workers: A First Case Report from Turkey with Review of the Literature

Abstract

In these worse days of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was reported that similar clinical pictures were observed after a while in those who suffered from the disease suggesting possible cases of reinfection. Some of these cases were among healthcare workers. These reports have raised serious concerns about the natural immunity gained against COVID-19. We report here two possible cases of reinfection in healthcare workers for the first time in Turkey. The first case was a 21-year-old male nurse working in a COVID-19 intensive care unit. RT-PCR test was reported positive on August 10 after complaints of weakness, severe muscle pain, and sore throat. The patient, who received treatment and was followed up according to the protocol, returned to work when two consecutive RT-PCR tests were negative on August 25-26. After 76 days, the patient who presented with complaints of weakness, severe muscle pain, sore throat, and diarrhea had again a positive RT-PCR. The second case was a 28-year-old female doctor working in a COVID-19 clinic. Her RT-PCR test was performed on 25 August after complaints of fatigue, severe muscle pain, headache, cough, anosmia, and dysgeusia accompanied by sub febrile fever were reported positive. She returned to work after two RT-PCR tests on September 10 and 15 were reported negative. Seventy-one days later, the RT-PCR test taken after complaints of fatigue, muscle pain, sore throat, headache, sub febrile fever, and occasional dry cough was evaluated as positive. The cases were discussed in detail with the review of the literature. © 2021 Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University.