A British man (59) whose COVID infection was thought to have been one of the longest in the world is finally clear of the virus, after more than a year, and a cocktail of drugs, doctors say.
The man had the virus for 411 days, reports The Independent: the longest COVID infection on record is thought to be 505 days, but that patient died.
The announcement comes as new government statistics suggest some 2.1m people in the UK – 3.3% of the population – are suffering from long COVID, limiting their ability to perform daily activities.
The condition, whose symptoms include fatigue, “brain fog” and aching, is more common in women, people aged 35 to 69 and those living in deprived areas, found the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
In the latest case of record infection, London medical experts succeeded in curing the man with a mix of neutralising antibodies known to be effective against early coronavirus variants – but said such treatments would probably no longer work.
The patient, who has a weakened immune system after a kidney transplant, had been unable to shake off an early variant of the virus. His infection was detected through analysis of the genetics of the virus strain he was carrying.
According to the research, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, he first tested positive in December 2020 and, although his symptoms disappeared, he continued to test positive intermittently until January this year.
The team who cared for him, from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London, had also treated the patient who tested positive for COVID for 505 days but later died.
Scientists say that when someone is infected for a long time, it gives the virus more chances to develop mutations to evade the immune system.
They add that new variants mean neutralising antibody treatments are now largely ineffective.
Luke Snell, from Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “Some new variants of the virus are resistant to all antibody treatments available in the UK and Europe. People with weakened immune systems are still at risk of severe illness and becoming persistently infected. We are still working to understand the best way to protect and treat them.”
The new ONS figures also showed 735 deaths involving coronavirus in the UK in the week ending 21 October, up from 625 in the previous week.
Genome sequencingPrevalence of ongoing symptoms following coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in the UK 3 November 2022
The Independent article – Man who had ‘world’s longest Covid infection’ is finally cured (Open access)
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
WHO estimates 17m long COVID cases in Europe and urges action
Scientists warn of hidden crisis as suicides potentially linked to long COVID
One in eight adults likely to develop long COVID symptoms – Dutch study
South African research sheds light on microclots’ role in long COVID
Long COVID impacts heart, lung and kidney – Scottish study