Assam: Woman Doctor Infected With Two Variants Of Coronavirus

Assam doctor infected with two variants of coronavirus: A woman doctor from Assam is arguably India’s first patient to be infected by two different variants of COVID-19 at the same time. While the doctor was dully vaccinated, after the doctor tested positive for COVID-19, it was found that she had been infected simultaneously by Alpha and Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2.

A double infection happens when two variants infect one person together or within a very short period of time, according to Dr Biswajyoti Borkakoty, a senior scientist at the ICMR Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) at Lahowal in Assam’s Dibrugarh district. Dr Borkakoty further told India Today that the patient had mild symptoms and recovered without hospitalisation.

The doctor had tested positive for COVID-19 after her husband did. After testing her samples in the laboratory, it was found that she was infected by both variants of SARS-CoV-2 at the same time. Her husband, also a doctor, had only been infected with Alpha variant. The woman's samples were collected twice to reconfirm the double infection. Since she had only developed mild symptoms, the doctor did not require hospitalisation and eventually recovered at home.

Dr Borkakoty also said that during the initial phase of the second wave in Assam around February-March this year, most COVID-19 cases were due to the Alpha variant, but after the assembly elections in April this year, cases of Delta variant infections doubled.

Recently, a 97-year-old woman named Jyotsna Rani Deb became the second oldest COVID-19 survivor in the state. She had been admitted to a hospital in Assam on July 7 due to breathing difficulty and later tested positive for coronavirus. Deb gradually recovered from the disease and was discharged on July 18, prior to which she was felicitated by the doctors at the hospital for conquering the infection at such an advanced age. Read more about her here.

Feature Image Credit: Freepik

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