An elderly man from the Netherlands has made headlines after being continuously positive for the coronavirus for a staggering 613 days until his death in October 2023. The man, who was immunocompromised due to previous illnesses, was admitted to a hospital in Amsterdam in February 2022 with a Covid-19 infection.
Researchers from the Netherlands have reported an extremely long Covid-19 infection in the man, raising concerns about the risk of emerging dangerous variants of the virus. The case will be presented at a congress of the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Barcelona on April 27-30.
According to the researchers, the virus in the man developed over 50 mutations compared to the Omicron variant, including those that could potentially evade immune defense. Despite this, the man did not infect anyone else with the mutated version of the virus.
The man eventually died from a flare-up of one of his previous illnesses, but his case has shed light on the importance of closely monitoring the virus in immunocompromised patients to prevent the spread of less susceptible variants in society. The researchers warn of the risk of new immune-evasive variants emerging in such individuals and stress the need for vigilant monitoring to protect vulnerable populations.
The case serves as a stark reminder of the evolving nature of the virus and the potential threats posed by new variants, highlighting the importance of continued research and surveillance to combat the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
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