Japanese woman confirmed as coronavirus case for second time, weeks after initial recovery

By Daniel Leussink

 

Passersby wearing masks are seen at Sapporo station in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, February 26, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

 

TOKYO (Reuters) - A woman working as a tour-bus guide in Japan tested positive for the coronavirus for a second time, Osaka's prefectural government said on Wednesday, the first person in the country to do so amid growing concerns about the spread of the infection.

 

The second positive test comes as the number of confirmed cases in Japan rose to 186 by Thursday from around 170 the day before. Tokyo has urged big gatherings and sports events be scrapped or curtailed for two weeks to contain the virus while pledging the 2020 Olympic Games will still go ahead in the city.

 

The 186 cases reported by Japan's health ministry are separate from 704 reported from an outbreak on a cruise liner that was quarantined off Tokyo earlier this month. A total of seven people have died, including four from the ship.

 

The woman, a resident of Osaka in western Japan, tested positive on Wednesday after developing a sore throat and chest pains, the prefectural government said in a statement, describing her as being in her forties. She first tested positive in late January and was discharged from the hospital after recovering on Feb. 1, according to the statement.

 

The health ministry confirmed the case was the first in Japan where a patient tested positive for coronavirus for a second time after being discharged from hospital, the Nikkei newspaper said.

 

Though a first in Japan, cases of second positive tests have been reported in China, where the disease originated late last year. The outbreak has spread rapidly and widely, infecting about 80,000 people globally and killing nearly 2,800, the vast majority in mainland China.

 

"Once you have the infection, it could remain dormant and with minimal symptoms, and then you can get an exacerbation if it finds its way into the lungs," said Philip Tierno Jr., Professor of Microbiology and Pathology at NYU School of Medicine.

 

He said much remains unknown about the virus. "I'm not certain that this is not bi-phasic, like anthrax," he said, meaning the disease appears to go away before recurring.

 

Asked to comment on prospects for the Olympic Games going ahead in Tokyo this summer, Prof. Tierno said, "The Olympics should be postponed if this continues ... There are many people who don't understand how easy it is to spread this infection from one person to another."

 

Japan has changed its strategy in combating the contagion, seeking to slow its spread and minimise the number of deaths.

 

As part of the attempt to contain the outbreak, Tokyo Olympics officials are considering scaling down the torch relay, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said on Wednesday.

 

The government is also considering scaling back this year's March 11 memorial ceremony for victims of 2011's massive earthquake and tsunami, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Thursday.

 

Meanwhile a major Japanese bank reported an employee had tested positive for coronavirus. MUFG Bank, part of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc <8306.T>, the country's largest lender by assets, said a member of staff at a branch in central Aichi prefecture, had been confirmed to have the virus on Wednesday.

 

(Reporting by Daniel Leussink, Chang-ran Kim and Rocky Swift; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-27

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9 minutes ago, webfact said:

I'm not certain that this is not bi-phasic, like anthrax,"

bio warfare...

17 minutes ago, webfact said:

Asked to comment on prospects for the Olympic Games going ahead in Tokyo this summer, Prof. Tierno said, "The Olympics should be postponed if this continues ... There are many people who don't understand how easy it is to spread this infection from one person to another."

Hmm, chances of that happening?

 

Lot of money and prestige tied up in the Olympics. 

58 minutes ago, webfact said:

"The Olympics should be postponed if this continues ... There are many people who don't understand how easy it is to spread this infection from one person to another."

yes like all the people who say the virus is overblown on TV.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The woman, a resident of Osaka in western Japan, tested positive on Wednesday after developing a sore throat and chest pains, the prefectural government said in a statement, describing her as being in her forties. She first tested positive in late January and was discharged from the hospital after recovering on Feb. 1, according to the statement.

 

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The health ministry confirmed the case was the first in Japan where a patient tested positive for coronavirus for a second time after being discharged from hospital,

That really is bad news ... it means that someone who had the virus already and was cured , can be infected again .

I remember they wanted to make vaccine out of the antibodies found in the blood of people who survived the virus ...?

4 hours ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

bio warfare...

Conspiracy theories are a giant panDUMBic.

 

They obviously lower IQ. ????

1 hour ago, nobodysfriend said:

That really is bad news ... it means that someone who had the virus already and was cured , can be infected again .

That's only 1 of 2 possibilities.

 

The other is that you 'recover' with no further symptoms for a while but the virus is still present and becomes active again at a later date (perhaps for reasons such as stress, tiredness, poor health generally ... )

4 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Hmm, chances of that happening?

 

Lot of money and prestige tied up in the Olympics. 

At the rate things are developing in Japan, but also all round the world, the chances of the Olympics being postponed or, more likely, cancelled are increasing by the day.

This is a really worrying turn of events in the fight to eradicate Covid19.

Just how many people are out there that have been tested and cleared and then have gotten the Virus a second time.

Scary

How unlucky can you be?

1 hour ago, mfd101 said:

At the rate things are developing in Japan, but also all round the world, the chances of the Olympics being postponed or, more likely, cancelled are increasing by the day.

Hmm...let’s see. It would be the logical thing to do if conditions reach pandemic proportions, but logic can be in short supply on such occasions. 
 

Though Saudi has barred pilgrims, so maybe we are learning. 

Edited February 27, 20206 yr by Bluespunk

13 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Hmm...let’s see. It would be the logical thing to do if conditions reach pandemic proportions, but logic can be in short supply on such occasions. 
 

Though Saudi has barred pilgrims, so maybe we are learning. 

The Gordian dilemma for politicians is either kill the economy or kill the people. 

(an unduly high number of folk compared to seasonal flu c 20 x more) 

6 minutes ago, URMySunshine said:

The Gordian dilemma for politicians is either kill the economy or kill the people. 

(an unduly high number of folk compared to seasonal flu c 20 x more) 

Money or people? And which one do you think they'll choose? 555

6 hours ago, webfact said:

"Once you have the infection, it could remain dormant and with minimal symptoms, and then you can get an exacerbation if it finds its way into the lungs," said Philip Tierno Jr., Professor of Microbiology and Pathology at NYU School of Medicine.

 

That's BAD news...as are all of the various cases of relapses that have been reported with this thing.

 

1 hour ago, Cake Monster said:

This is a really worrying turn of events in the fight to eradicate Covid19.

Just how many people are out there that have been tested and cleared and then have gotten the Virus a second time.

Scary

Well people often get colds and flu more than once in their lives. But being hit with this new thing twice really sucks, I must say. Maybe she thought she had immunity after the first infection and didn't take enough care...who knows?

Sounds logical that the virus could hibernate, then return. Isn't herpes a virus? If covid-19 returns to a person are they infectious again?

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Japanese woman confirmed as coronavirus case for second time, weeks after initial recovery

By Daniel Leussink

Yep it's only going to get Worse before it will be going to get better . they just don't know what they are up against. It's Very Serious ????

She is a carrier,the virus is going to be hard to get rid of as it lays dormant & then reappears to carry on infecting people,it's a disease from bats that evolved a long time before humans & as any species get immune in time to the virus then the virus gets stronger,humans are millions of years behind bats.....think about it

9 hours ago, mfd101 said:

he other is that you 'recover' with no further symptoms for a while but the virus is still present and becomes active again at a later date (perhaps for reasons such as stress, tiredness, poor health generally ... )

like malaria

5 hours ago, IAMHERE said:

Sounds logical that the virus could hibernate, then return. Isn't herpes a virus? If covid-19 returns to a person are they infectious again?

apparently facial herpes hides in the spine at the neck and sexual herpes hides in the base of the spine.

 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/294379#Meanwhile,-virus-proteins-are-transcribed-perfectly

This is very concerning, I really hope there was an error with the negative test. Otherwise we may have a grave situation on her hands with this thing.

Also the latest figures coming out of Italy are concerning: Among the 472 active cases from an earlier report, 159 (34%) are hospitalized and 37 (8%) are in intensive care.

 

34% hospitalized, 8% ICU is very bad.

 

source https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

Viruses like to hide inside host cells to trick the body into thinking nothing is wrong only to reappear later.  Perhaps her version of covid-19 has mutated into one that hides better than the original strain.

4 hours ago, Iron Tongue said:

Viruses like to hide inside host cells to trick the body into thinking nothing is wrong only to reappear later.  Perhaps her version of covid-19 has mutated into one that hides better than the original strain.

Perhaps it hasn't.

15 hours ago, unsubscribe said:

This is very concerning, I really hope there was an error with the negative test. Otherwise we may have a grave situation on her hands with this thing.

Can you change the word grave??