Japan confirms first case of a person being reinfected with coronavirus

Japan has reported its first case of a person becoming reinfected with coronavirus after fully recovering.

Officials in Osaka confirmed that a woman who works as a tour bus guide had tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time, further heightening concerns that the illness could remain dormant after an apparent recovery.

The woman in Osaka, western Japan, who is in her 40s, tested positive on Wednesday, February 26, after developing a sore throat and chest pains.

She was first diagnosed with the coronavirus in late January and was discharged from hospital on February 1, and her reinfection has health experts worried.

Philip Tierno Jr, professor of microbiology and pathology at New York University, said: "Once you have the infection, it could remain dormant and with minimal symptoms.

"And then you can get an exacerbation if it finds its way into the lungs."

While there have been a number of cases of reinfection in China, notably in Wuhan province where the coronavirus outbreak originated late last year, second positive tests have not been reported elsewhere in the world, until now.

Twitter users expressed their worries after Japan confirmed the first case of a person being reinfected.

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