A total of three Covid-19 patients in Macau who had undergone treatment and recovered from the virus have been re-diagnosed, according to local health authorities.
These cases occurred less than a week ago, when one of the patients, a 31-year-old male from the Philippines, tested positive for the virus on the last day of the mandatory 14-day quarantine period that a patient undergoes when they are discharged from the hospital.
Replying to the media, Dr Alvis Lo from the Conde de São Januário Hospital Center noted that cases such as these have been reportedly happening worldwide but with a very low frequency.
Lo explained that the man tested positive on the final day of his quarantine during the local health authorities’ standard procedure of testing patients discharged from hospital.
The recovered patients are quarantined at the Public Health Clinical Center on Alto de Coloane, where they are sent to be tested once first admitted and also during the final days of the isolation period before they are finally discharged.
According to the health authorities, the relapse cases are not worrying and just prove that the system currently enforced in Macau is effectively detecting these cases before the patients are discharged and continue with their normal lives.
According to the same respondent, although the patients have tested positive for the virus, it is not clear whether they may infect other people in the community. Lo also noted that the currently available data worldwide shows that this relapse only occurs in 2% to 4% of cases.
Delving more into the possible causes, Lo also mentioned that usually the relapse is linked to people with a debilitated immunological system.
Lo also reaffirmed that, as a rule, even after being discharged from quarantine and returning to their normal life, former Covid-19 patients should continue to monitor their health conditions and avoid close contact with other people as much as possible.
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