91 patien­ts though­t cleare­d of the new corona­virus had tested positi­ve again in South KoreaGENEVA: The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Saturday that it was looking into reports of some COVID-19 patients testing positive again after initially testing negative for the disease while being considered for discharge. South Korean officials on Friday reported 91 patients thought cleared of the new coronavirus had tested positive again. The Geneva-based WHO, asked about the report from Seoul, told Reuters in a brief statement: “We are aware of these reports of individuals who have tested negative for COVID-19 using PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing and then after some days testing positive again. It is important to make sure that when samples are collected for testing on suspected patients, procedures are followed properly,” it said. “We are aware that some patients are PCR positive after they clinically recover, but we need systematic collection of samples from recovered patients to better understand how long they shed live virus,” it said.

Source: The Express Tribune April 11, 2020 10:07 UTC