PARIS – A 90-year-old woman, who died after falling ill with Covid-19, was infected with both the Alpha and Beta variants at the same time, said researchers in Belgium today, adding that the rare phenomenon may be underestimated.
The unvaccinated woman, who lived alone and received at-home nursing care, was admitted to OLV Hospital in the Belgian city of Aalst after a spate of falls in March, and tested positive for the coronavirus the same day.
While her oxygen levels were initially good, her condition deteriorated rapidly and she died five days later.
When medical staff tested for the presence of any variants of concern (VOCs), they found that she was carrying both the Alpha strain, which originated in Britain, and Beta, first detected in South Africa.
“Both these variants were circulating in Belgium at the time, so it is likely that the lady was co-infected with different viruses from two different people,” said molecular biologist Anne Vankeerberghen from OLV Hospital who led the research.
“Unfortunately, we don’t know how she became infected.”
She said it is difficult to say whether the co-infection played a role in the patient’s quick deterioration.
The research, which has not yet been submitted to a medical journal for publication, is being presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases.
While Vankeerberghen in a press release said there has been “no other published cases” of similar co-infections, the “phenomenon is probably underestimated”.
This is because of limited testing for VOCs, she said, calling for an increase in the use of fast PCR testing to detect known variant mutations.
In January, scientists in Brazil reported that two people had been simultaneously infected with two strains of the virus, but the study has yet to be published in a scientific journal.
In comments reacting to the research, Lawrence Young, a virologist and professor of molecular oncology at University of Warwick, said it is not a surprise to find an individual infected with more than one strain.
“This study does highlight the need for more studies to determine whether infection with multiple VOCs affects the clinical course of Covid-19, and whether this in any way compromises the efficacy of vaccination.” – AFP, July 11, 2021
