Deceased Belgian woman (90) was found to be simultaneously infected with two variants of coronavirus: “Underestimated phenomenon”

According to Vankeerberghen, it is difficult to say whether the co-infection played a role in the rapid decline of the patient. The research, which has not yet been submitted for publication to a medical journal, will be presented at the European Congress on Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID).

For the time being, no other cases of such a double infection are known in Belgium. According to Vankeerbeghen, the phenomenon is underestimated because there is only limited testing for worrying variants. She advocates making greater use of rapid PCR tests to detect known virus mutations.

In January, scientists in Brazil also reported that two people were simultaneously infected with two different strains of the corona virus. That study has yet to be published in a scientific journal.

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