HK reports first proven COVID-19 case from reinfection

A Hong Kong man who recovered from COVID-19 was infected again four-and-a-half months later in the first documented instance of human reinfection with the virus, researchers at the University of Hong Kong said on Monday.

The findings indicate the disease, which has killed over 800,000 people worldwide, may continue to spread globally despite herd immunity, they said.

The 33-year-old man was cleared of COVID-19 and discharged from a hospital in April, but tested positive again after returning from Spain via Britain on Aug 15. The patient had appeared to be previously healthy, researchers said in a paper that was accepted by the international medical journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.