Recovered COVID-19 Patient in Myanmar Tests Positive Again

By Zaw Zaw Htwe 2 July 2020

YANGON—A recovered COVID-19 patient from Myanmar’s Shan State tested positive for the coronavirus again on Tuesday, becoming the first reported case of COVID-19 in a recovered patient, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports.

The 43-year-old patient, a surgeon from Yangon General Hospital who had tested negative for COVID-19 twice, tested positive for the coronavirus again as he was planning to return to Yangon from Shan State’s Tachileik Township, according to Dr. Shwe Win, medical superintendent of Tachileik Hospital.

“According to the research, there is less chance to be infected with the virus from those who have tested negative for COVID-19 twice. But, people should not be careless,” Dr. Shwe Win told The Irrawaddy.

The patient first tested positive for COVID-19 on April 19 when he arrived back to Tachileik from Yangon after coming into contact with someone in Yangon who had the disease.

According to the Health Ministry, the patient was allowed by the Keng Tung Hospital to go home on May 20 after he was treated and tested negative twice.

Dr. Shwe Win added that the patient’s wife has not contracted the virus and has tested negative for COVID-19 four times.

However, the patient’s wife will be tested again along with six other people, including Dr. Shwe Win, who had close contact with the patient.

The patient is now in isolation at the Tachileik Hospital and in good health without any symptoms of COVID-19, according to the medical superintendent of the hospital.

Asked for his comment on the issue of a recovered patient tested positive again, Health Ministry spokesperson Dr. Than Naing Soe said, “I don’t see this finding as a new challenge. This kind of case has occurred internationally too. They also don’t regard it as a new challenge. But, we have to keep watching. We can’t be careless.”

As of Thursday, Myanmar has reported 304 COVID-19 cases, including six deaths and 222 recoveries, according to the Health Ministry.

According to ministry statistics from Wednesday, 26,777 people in Myanmar are in quarantine based on their travel histories and 6,037 people are in isolation after showing COVID-19 symptoms.

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