After Suspected Reinfection, Hosp Sends Samples For Genomic Study

Mumbai: After two civic-run hospitals encountered suspected cases of Covid ‘reinfection’, Mahim’s PD Hinduja Hospital too has had a case of a healthcare worker testing positive for the second time in an interval of months. Also, the BMC experts, who have already begun a genomic study in other suspected cases of reinfection, have sent samples for reconfirmation to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, after noticing some “variations” between samples sequenced.

- Sumitra Deb Roy & Malathy Iyer

A senior doctor from Hinduja hospital told TOI that they have come across only one such case after having treated hundreds for Covid patients over the last few months. “We have handed over the person’s samples to experts from Kasturba Hospital for a genome study. Only a comparison of the strains can tell whether the person had a reinfection or if it was something else,” the doctor said. The doctor added that they have been storing all samples of Covid patients that were tested in the hospital in the past few months.