Incidence of Recurrent SARS-CoV-2 Infections during the COVID19 Pandemic in Madina, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: SARS-CoV-2 infections emerged in China and spread globally causing the Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID19) pandemic. Dispersed reports from different countries reported the possibility of the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in individual reported cases. The aim of this report was, therefore, to document several recurrent infection cases in Saudi Arabia to furtherly augment this body of evidence. Methods: The study was conducted retrospectively from October 2020 to October 2021. The study included patients who had experienced multiple COVID-19 infections, which were confirmed through qPCR tests. There was a minimum gap of three months between each infection, and the patients had tested negative after each infection. Personal or phone interviews were conducted with the patients. Results: In total, 10 cases (7 males and 3 females) of COVID19 recurrent infections were reported with an average age of 34.1 years. The most common symptoms included fever, headache, body aches, sore throat, cough, diarrhea. With the exception of one case that required hospitalization during the third infection and one case of miscarriage during the first infection, all reported cases were mild. The average duration of illness for the first infection was 13.9 days, while for the second infection, it was 12.9 days. Only one patient reported being vaccinated before his second course of infection. Conclusion: Infection with COVID-19 does not provide life-long protection. The possibility of recurrent and repeated reinfection with COVID-19 was presented in several cases especially in healthcare workers, indicating that screening of COVID19 infection in hospitals and healthcare centers is essential.