In a short span of over three months, two top officials in the health department of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) tested positive for COVID-19 for the 2nd time. This re-infection indicates that the antibodies that were developed after the 1st infection do last for around 2.5-3 months, in few people.

These two doctors have been working on the COVID-19 front since the city had registered the first case on 11th March. Both doctors along with others were engaged in confirming the availability of beds, treatment to coronavirus patients and were also involved in the development of NMC’s COVID Hospitals, etc. They were also monitoring the cremation of the COVID victims.

One of the doctors had tested positive for COVID-19 the first time on 7th September. The other doctor tested positive on 10th September. Both of them had severe symptoms and were treated in the hospital.

Another official of Tata Trusts, working with NMC in managing the pandemic, also started showing symptoms and was tested positive on 25th December. Due to this, few NMC officials got tested for COVID-19 and one of them reported positive on 27th December. Again, some of the NMC officials were tested for COVID-19 and one of them came positive on 29th December.

Earlier, the Indian Council of Medical Research had said antibodies can last up to 3-5 months. Secretary of Hedgewar Blood Bank Ashok Patki had said that antibodies can last for at least two-and-a-half months, during the launch of plasma and blood donation projects. In many cases, the people were asymptomatic and had only mild infection at the 1st time and did not develop enough antibodies. Such people show severe symptoms when they are tested positive for the 2nd time. The two NMC officials are having mild symptoms such assore throat, etc during the second time.

Source: The Times of India