A Virologist, Prof. Sunday Omilabu, says that a survivor of COVID-19 develops a stronger immunity to the disease and has remote chances of reinfection.
Omilabu, who works in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, made the disclosure on Thursday, during an online interactive session with members of the Health Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HEWAN).
According to him, to have survived COVID-19 means to have developed adequate body immunity.
“We have not heard of reinfection of a survivor or any implication of organ damage and I don’t think there is any long term consequences because once you survive COVID-19, you will be stronger.
“It is expected that you develop a stronger immunity. Most of those that have been discharged, got discharged after testing negative on two consecutive occasions and their saliva has become cleared of the virus particles.
“No instances of organ damage. Once you recover, all organs are repaired too.
“Once a survivor recovers, he recovers fully because he develops stronger immunity to destroy the viral particles or any remnant virus and once the viral particles are destroyed, there will be repairs and everything in the body will normalise.
“So, no cause for any alarm and no fear of reinfection but we still need more studies to arrive at a conclusion,” he said.
Omilabu said that COVID-19 was a peculiar disease because it was responsible for another pandemic that spread to almost all the countries of the world.
According to him, the virus is travelling faster because it has to do with particles being blown up by air.
He advised Nigerians to continue to imbibe social distancing and hand hygiene as more effective ways to stay safe and help combat the spread of Coronavirus disease in the country. (NAN)