EXPERT REACTION: Victoria reports case of COVID-19 reinfection
Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has this morning announced that a new case of COVID-19 announced yesterday is being treated as a reinfection. During a press conference, the Premier said a male patient first tested positive back in June, and following his more recent positive test, an expert panel reviewed his case and "concluded there wasn't enough evidence to say that the positive test presented viral shedding". If confirmed, this would be the first reported case of reinfection in Australia, with the world's first case reported by Hong Kong researchers back in August and another more recently reported in the US. Below, Australian experts respond.
Organisation/s: Australian Science Media Centre, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Mater Research, Griffith University, La Trobe University, University of Sydney, University of Queensland, WEHI, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Australian National University, Murdoch University
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Expert Reaction
These comments have been collated by the Science Media Centre to provide a variety of expert perspectives on this issue. Feel free to use these quotes in your stories. Views expressed are the personal opinions of the experts named. They do not represent the views of the SMC or any other organisation unless specifically stated.
Dr Larisa Labzin is an IMB Fellow and NHMRC CJ Martin Fellow at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at The University of Queensland. Larisa's research focuses on understanding how the innate immune system recognizes viruses.
Professor Jeremy Nicholson is Pro-Vice Chancellor of Health Sciences and Director of the Australian National Phenome Centre at Murdoch University