The woman was admitted to a hospital in the Belgian city of Aalst in March. By then, she was infected with both the alpha and beta variants, according to the researchers. These are the mutations that were previously referred to as the British and the South African variant, respectively.
“Both variants were circulating in Belgium at this time, so it is likely that the woman was infected with two different variants from two different people,” says molecular biologist Anne Venkeerberghen, who is leading a study on the phenomenon at the hospital where the woman was admitted.
Similar cases have been discovered in both Brazil and Portugal, and researchers believe that this rare phenomenon is strongly underreported. Researchers are now calling for more studies on such a double infection and especially how this may affect the vaccine’s effect.
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