A UK patient had COVID-19 for 505 days.
The previous record for persistent infection — rather than repeated bouts of COVID — is thought to be 335 days
British researchers from King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust said
The unnamed individual was diagnosed in mid-2020 with respiratory symptoms that later improved.
But they then tested positive about 45 times before attending hospital up to their death.
Consultant virologist Gaia Nebbia said persistent infection with SARS-CoV-2 — the virus which causes COVID-19 — has been described in patients with weakened immune systems.
She and her team studied how the virus from nine COVID patients in London changed over time, concluding that new variants may occur in immunocompromised patients.
“This is one of the hypotheses for the emergence of variants,” Nebbia told AFP.
“Regular sampling and genetic analysis of the virus showed that five of the nine patients developed at least one mutation seen in variants of concern.
“Some individuals developed multiple mutations associated with variants of concern, such as the Alpha, Delta and Omicron variants.
“However, none of the individuals in our work developed new variants that became widespread variants of concern.”
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