There are no known cases in the Netherlands of people who have become infected with the corona virus for a second time. Virologist Menno de Jong of the Amsterdam UMC says this AT5. During a technical session in the city council about the corona virus, the director of the Amsterdam GGD told that there would be stories about people going through a re-infection of Covid-19. But ‘there is no evidence for this’, according to virologist De Jong.
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PvdA party leader Sofyan Mbarki asked during the technical session last Thursday for clarification regarding a possible reinfection. GGD director Manshanden then answered:
“I’ve heard that people were infected during the first wave and are now getting Covid again. Incidents maybe, but I have heard it say. But these are all national studies, of course, and that must be followed. So it is not the case that if you have had it once you cannot get it afterwards. That was the signal actually. Worrying. ‘
Short-term immunity?
But are those concerns justified? ‘There has not yet been a single proven case of reinfection after the first wave,’ reacts virologist De Jong. ‘Immunity is built up during an infection. There are stories that such immunity can be short-lived. You sometimes see that the number of antibodies decreases. What that means for protection is still unclear. ‘
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Immune disorder
He continues: ‘If we extrapolate that to other respiratory viruses, it is unlikely that we will all see re-infections in the short term. Unless there are special situations in which someone has difficulty producing antibodies, such as someone who has an immune disorder. ‘
According to De Jong, there are therefore no proven ‘second cases’ of Covid, but he does not exclude it for the future. ‘At some point there is certainly a risk of re-infections. But that also applies to other respiratory viruses. Think of the snot-nose viruses. After a year there is another risk. But then you are really talking about a year and not already. ‘
GGD response
In a response, the GGD does not answer any questions about possible known cases of recontamination, but the service emphasizes the uncertainty about immunity: ‘This is a new disease, so the scientists are constantly collecting new knowledge. Research has also been conducted into how long previously corona-infected persons remain immune, whether this often occurs and whether they can infect others again. That is why the crystal-clear rules of conduct are also important for those who have recovered. Because there is no medicine, there is only our behavior to protect each other and ourselves. ‘
Watch the entire Corona Q&A below, in which virologist De Jong answers questions from AT5 viewers:
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