UK Covid patient infected by 10 variants, battled virus for 505 days: Report

The patient, who was not identified, died 505 days after first being diagnosed with the virus, back in 2020, British publication Metro said.

A Covid-19 patient in the United Kingdom - with a severely weakened immune system - battled the disease for 18 months - during which time he was infected by 10 mutations of the virus, including omicron - before finally passing away, British publication Metro reported. The patient died 505 days after first being diagnosed with the virus, back in 2020, Metro said.

Even though persistent infection is rare, experts have said that there are many with compromised immune systems who remain at risk of severe Covid-19.(AP file photo. Representative image)

The patient was not identified.

"It certainly seems to be the longest reported infection (at 505 days)," Dr Luke Blagdon Snell, an infectious disease expert at the London-based Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, told The Associated Press.

Dr Snell's team is planning to present several examples of persistent cases of Covid-19 at an infectious disease meeting in Portugal this weekend.

His team investigated the evolution of mutations and whether variants evolve in people with super long infections, the AP said. Nine patients - whose identities were not revealed - were part of the study. Each tested positive for Covid-19 for at least eight weeks.

All these patients had weakened immune systems due to diseases like HIV or cancer, or had undergone organ transplants. Tests showed infections lingered, on an average, for 73 days.

Out of these nine patients, four died. Among the remaining five, two recovered from Covid-19 without any treatment while two others required treatment to fight the virus.

The ninth patient, however, is still infected and has been battling Covid-19 for 412 days.

"In long Covid, it's generally assumed the virus has been cleared from your body but the symptoms persist," Dr Snell told AP, adding, "With persistent infection, it represents ongoing, active replication of the virus."

Dr Snell also pointed out that some people are more susceptible to persistent infection and severe disease.

Even though persistent infection is rare, experts have said that there are many with compromised immune systems who remain at risk of severe Covid-19 and who are trying to stay safe after governments lifted restrictions.