A Dutch man suffered the longest recorded COVID-19 infection, spanning a staggering 613 days, before he died in the fall of 2023, a study by researchers of the Amsterdam University Medical Center has revealed.
The 72-year-old unnamed man was already suffering with a blood disease, before he got infected with Covid-19 in February 2022, leading to a compromised immune system, reported TIME. The case study of the 72-year-old man will be presented by the researchers at a medical summit in Barcelona next week.
The researchers found that the virus mutated over 50 times in his body, and finally transformed into an ultra-mutated variant, according to TIME.
The 20-month-long Covid infection, researchers say, is the longest recorded one, surpassing the 505-day infection of a British man who died as well.
Despite receiving multiple doses of Covid-19 vaccines before he got infected with the Omicron variant, the patient’s immune system failed to keep up.
The virus, over time, showed a remarkable ability to resist medical interventions, including sotrovimab, a prominent Covid antibody treatment, in just a few weeks of being administered.
SUPER-MUTATED VARIANT OF COVID DIDN’T SPREAD
While the mutant variant did not spread beyond the patient, its emergence shows how the pandemic-causing virus can genetically change, giving birth to new variants of the pathogen.
“This case underscores the risk of persistent SARS-CoV-2 infections in immunocompromised individuals,” the authors of the study done on the said patient.
“We emphasise the importance of continuing genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 evolution in immunocompromised individuals with persistent infections,” added the study.
The case study of the 72-year-old man by researchers of the Amsterdam University Medical Center, will be presented at the ESCMID Global Congress in Barcelona next week.
The research also showed that around 24% of American adults who were tested positive for Covid-19 have felt its symptoms for more than three months.
Rohit Malhotra is a medical expert and health journalist who offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being. His articles aim to help readers lead healthier lives.
