Israeli recovered from corona re-infected with South African mutation

Doctors say antibodies do not prevent new infections, but the mutated virus does not appear to cause serious illness in those who already recovered once.

By Paul Shindman, World Israel News

A middle-aged Israeli man who was sick with the coronavirus last summer recently contracted the South African mutation of the disease, but made a quick recovery after having only mild symptoms the second time around, Ynet reported Sunday.

Ziv Yaffe, 57, from the small town of Oranit about 18 kilometers (11 miles) east of Tel Aviv, said he is feeling great. Since diagnosed as positive for the South African mutation, he has already had a negative test result indicating that he has recovered.

Yaffe said that when he caught the virus in August he was very sick before recovering, but that the second time he hardly felt badly at all.

“I am neither a doctor nor a researcher, but I can say that personally, the first time I was indeed really sick,” Yaffe told Ynet.

A few days after returning from a trip to Turkey two weeks ago, he was diagnosed with the South African mutation but said the symptoms were mild.

“The fact is that two days later it was no longer in the body, and the test result was negative. I currently feel great, and I did not infect anyone,” Yaffe said, adding he felt the alarmist talk in the media about the new virus mutations was overblown.

“The event should be put in proportion. I feel they have lost proportion completely. Why should the whole country be intimidated about mutations?” Yaffe said.

Health officials have been very worried about the South African mutation because they don’t know enough about it, and are now somewhat encouraged that Yaffe apparently did not infect anyone and felt well throughout the second infection.

Yaffe is part of a study program following those who have been infected that tests the various components of the immune system after recovery.

“When he fell ill with corona in August, he had symptoms. He recovered, and because he is participating in the study we have a record of each activity and his immune system,” said Prof. Shai Efrati, director of research and development at Shamir Medical Center.

“Since then we have been following him, and over time we have seen that as with everyone, the antibodies go down – but we do not know if they are enough to prevent another disease,” Efrati added. “It should be emphasized, antibodies do not prevent infection, but as soon as the virus infects, it will not cause a serious illness. Yaffe returned from Turkey on Jan. 16 without any symptoms, later suffered from a runny nose and therefore did a corona test which came out positive.”

“Because he is with us in the study, he underwent a re-examination, in which he was also found to be carrying the virus” that turned out to be the South African mutation, said Prof. Efrati, who noted that Efrati himself did not spread the virus at all despite being in close contact with family.

“He had the virus, but he is not sick. His wife also lived with him, his daughters and grandchildren – none of them became infected,” Efrati noted.

“This is a case from which much can be learned. The antibodies he developed in August protected him from developing a disease as a result of the South African mutant virus,” Efrati said. “Moreover, in his case there was also no infection, which is very encouraging.”