[BostonCard]

Generally, I agree with the assessment that in most cases reinfection should not happen for most patients (those with certain immune defficiencies may be vulnerable).  However, I want to caution that this virus has already confounded a lot of assumptions.  For example, the initial assessment was that asymptomatic (and presymptomatic) transmission was unlikely; we now know that's not the case.  And it is worth noting that the virus is an RNA virus like influenza, and RNA viruses are more prone to mutations than DNA viruses.  It is possible, though unlikely, that the virus will mutate and that it may become possible to be reinfected with a second strain.

The virus is challenging a lot of accepted wisdom about viruses.  Another exampole, it is generally believed that viruses that start out zoonotically (ie animal to human) are not very efficient at human to human transmission because the virus has not yet evolved for efficient human-to-human transmission.  That may have affected the initial Chinese response to the virus, where it was believed that if they just shut down the market that would be enough to prevent future transmissions.  But as we now know, that assumption was wrong.

BC

[BostonCard]

Generally, I agree with the assessment that in most cases reinfection should not happen for most patients (those with certain immune defficiencies may be vulnerable).  However, I want to caution that this virus has already confounded a lot of assumptions.  For example, the initial assessment was that asymptomatic (and presymptomatic) transmission was unlikely; we now know that's not the case.  And it is worth noting that the virus is an RNA virus like influenza, and RNA viruses are more prone to mutations than DNA viruses.  It is possible, though unlikely, that the virus will mutate and that it may become possible to be reinfected with a second strain.

The virus is challenging a lot of accepted wisdom about viruses.  Another exampole, it is generally believed that viruses that start out zoonotically (ie animal to human) are not very efficient at human to human transmission because the virus has not yet evolved for efficient human-to-human transmission.  That may have affected the initial Chinese response to the virus, where it was believed that if they just shut down the market that would be enough to prevent future transmissions.  But as we now know, that assumption was wrong.

BC