Weeks after reports that recovered coronavirus patients in South Korea had tested positive again, experts from Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) say the results were because of 'inactive' fragments of the virus picked up by the sensitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.
"RNA fragments still can exist ina cell even if the virus is inactivated," KCDC said in a press release, as reported by the government-funded Yonhap News Agency.
"It is more likely that those who tested positive again picked up virus RNA that has already been inactivated," KCDC said.
According to KCDC, a total of 277 people had tested positive again as of Tuesday, adding that there was no live virus in such cases. Oh Myoung-don said the results were because of the technical limits of PCR tests.
They added that it was impossible for the virus to be reactivated unless the virus causes chronic infections.
"The COVID-19 virus does not invade inside of the cell nucleus and combine with a patient's DNA..it means that the virus does not create chronic infections," Oh said.
South Korea had 10,761 cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday and had suffered 246 deaths. The country is one of the few to have stopped the spread and rapid growth of the virus, after seeing a peak in the number of cases on February 29. On Tuesday, South Korea reported just 14 new cases of which 12 were imported.
However, the KCDC in their latest statement said the country was far from completely stemming the coronavirus.
