ROANOKE, Va. – Local health officials say you can catch COVID-19 more than once.
Dr. Molly O’Dell, the director of communicable disease control for the Virginia Department of Health’s Roanoke City- Alleghany Health Districts, said that two individuals in the region have already tested positive twice each.
O’Dell said those two people both tested positive after showing symptoms, recovered, and then, more than three months later, tested positive again.
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The second time around, they didn’t have any symptoms.
O’Dell said those two cases are counted as re-infections, not a second case for the same individuals.
However, health experts still don’t know how those individuals got re-infected and it’s unclear if people develop an immunity to COVID-19 or how long it could protect someone.
“It’s just another example of why we need to stay vigilant about our behaviors with social distancing and face coverings and hygiene because there’s more we don’t know about this organism, than we know,” said O’Dell.
In the two districts, the number of positive COVID-19 cases are going.
The total number of cases for the two districts is 1,936, and 74 cases are new.
There have now been 27 deaths, including one new death this week.