A 90-year-old woman in Belgium was infected with two Covid-19 variants at the same time.
- A 90-year-old woman died after contracting Covid-19 and was infected with both Alpha and Beta variants.
- This unvaccinated woman lives alone. The medical staff tested her for any mutations and found that she was carrying the Alpha strain (originated in the UK) and Beta strain (first discovered in South Africa).
- Although her oxygen level was initially good, her condition quickly deteriorated and she passed away five days later.
Researchers in Belgium said on Sunday that a 90-year-old woman who died of Covid-19 was infected with both Alpha and Beta variants of the coronavirus, adding that this rare phenomenon may be underestimated.
The unvaccinated woman lived alone and received home care. After a series of falls in March, she was taken to the OLV Hospital in Aalster, Belgium, and tested positive for Covid-19 on the same day.
Although her oxygen level was initially good, her condition quickly deteriorated and she passed away five days later.
When medical staff tested whether there were any worrisome mutations, they found that she was carrying an Alpha strain that originated in the United Kingdom and a Beta strain that was first discovered in South Africa.
Anne Vankeerberghen, a molecular biologist at the OLV Hospital who led the research, said: “Both variants were circulating in Belgium at the time, so this lady was probably infected with different viruses from two different people at the same time.
“Unfortunately, we don’t know how she was infected.”
Vankeerberghen said that it is difficult to say whether the co-infection played a role in the rapid deterioration of the patient.
The study has not yet been submitted to a medical journal for publication and is being published at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.
Although Vankeerberghen stated in a press release that “there are no other similar cases of co-infection published”, she added that “this phenomenon may be underestimated.”
She said that this was because of the limited detection of related mutations and called for increased use of rapid PCR testing to detect known mutations.
In January of this year, Brazilian scientists reported that the two were infected with two different strains of coronavirus at the same time, but the study has not yet been published in a scientific journal.
Lawrence Young, a virologist and professor of molecular oncology at the University of Warwick, said in a review of the study that it is not surprising to find that a person is infected with more than one strain.
He added: “This study does highlight the need for more research to determine whether infection with multiple variants of concern will affect the clinical course of Covid-19, and whether this will impair the efficacy of vaccination in any way.”
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