Researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) said that they had confirmed the world's "first case" of coronavirus reinfection after a 33-year-old man got the infection once again after over four months.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/south-korea-orders-schools-to-be-shut-in-seoul-amid-surge-in-virus-cases-322891">Also Read:&nbsp;South Korea orders schools to be shut in Seoul amid surge in virus cases</a>

The man's two viral signatures were "completely different", and belonged to different coronavirus lineages, according to researchers after he suffered a relapse. The researchers found that first strain resembled those that were collected in March and April, however, the second strain matched the virus found in Europe after the person visited the continent in July and August.&nbsp;

The man had travalled to Spain and had returned to Hong Kong via London after he was detected with the virus during screening at the airport. The man's PCR swab test was positive.

"Our study proves that immunity for COVID infection is not lifelong, in fact, reinfection can occur quite quickly," Kelvin Kai-Wang To, microbiologist and lead author of the study, said.

Although there have been cases reported of reinfections, however, this is the first time it has been proven after tests. “This is the world’s first documentation of a patient who recovered from COVID-19 but got another episode of COVID-19 afterwards,” the researchers said in a statement.

However, the World Health Organization(WHO) said it needs to look at the case at the "at a population level” as there have been "24 million cases reported to date".

"The finding does not mean taking vaccines will be useless," Dr. Kai-Wang To said, adding,"immunity induced by vaccination can be different from those induced by natural infection," To said. "[We] will need to wait for the results of the vaccine trials to see if how effective vaccines are."

Worrying news emerged from Belgium and Netherlands on Tuesday as Dutch media reported re-infections of coronavirus. A patient in the Netherlands and another in Belgium got infected after making recovery from Covid-19 infection the first time around. The development on Tuesday follows reports of the first known re-infection of coronavirus in Hong Kong. This has been confirmed by scientists.

Dutch broadcaster NOS reported that the re-infected patient in the Netherlands was an old person with a weakened immune system.

Virologist Marion Koopmans, cited by the NOS, said that it was common for people to remain infected with the virus for a long time with mild symptoms. The infection flares up in some cases. Marion Koopmans said that genetic testing was required in both instances of infection to check whether there were any differences in the virus present.

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) said that they had confirmed the world's "first case" of coronavirus reinfection after a 33-year-old man got the infection once again after over four months.

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) said that they had confirmed the world's "first case" of coronavirus reinfection after a 33-year-old man got the infection once again after over four months. Also Read: South Korea orders schools to be shut in Seoul amid surge in virus cases The man's two viral signatures were "completely different", and belonged to different coronavirus lineages, according to researchers after he suffered a relapse. The researchers found that first strain resembled those that were collected in March and April, however, the second strain matched the virus found in Europe after the person visited the continent in July and August. The man had travalled to Spain and had returned to Hong Kong via London after he was detected with the virus during screening at the airport. The man's PCR swab test was positive. "Our study proves that immunity for COVID infection is not lifelong, in fact, reinfection can occur quite quickly," Kelvin Kai-Wang To, microbiologist and lead author of the study, said. Although there have been cases reported of reinfections, however, this is the first time it has been proven after tests. “This is the world’s first documentation of a patient who recovered from COVID-19 but got another episode of COVID-19 afterwards,” the researchers said in a statement. However, the World Health Organization(WHO) said it needs to look at the case at the "at a population level” as there have been "24 million cases reported to date". "The finding does not mean taking vaccines will be useless," Dr. Kai-Wang To said, adding,"immunity induced by vaccination can be different from those induced by natural infection," To said. "[We] will need to wait for the results of the vaccine trials to see if how effective vaccines are." Worrying news emerged from Belgium and Netherlands on Tuesday as Dutch media reported re-infections of coronavirus. A patient in the Netherlands and another in Belgium got infected after making recovery from Covid-19 infection the first time around. The development on Tuesday follows reports of the first known re-infection of coronavirus in Hong Kong. This has been confirmed by scientists. Dutch broadcaster NOS reported that the re-infected patient in the Netherlands was an old person with a weakened immune system. Virologist Marion Koopmans, cited by the NOS, said that it was common for people to remain infected with the virus for a long time with mild symptoms. The infection flares up in some cases. Marion Koopmans said that genetic testing was required in both instances of infection to check whether there were any differences in the virus present.

World’s 'first' coronavirus reinfection case confirmed in Hong Kong

Worrying news emerged from Belgium and Netherlands on Tuesday as Dutch media reported re-infections of coronavirus. A patient in the Netherlands and another in Belgium got infected after making recovery from Covid-19 infection the first time around. The development on Tuesday follows reports of the first known re-infection of coronavirus in Hong Kong. This has been confirmed by scientists. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/worlds-first-coronavirus-reinfection-case-confirmed-in-hong-kong-322896">Also read | World’s 'first' coronavirus reinfection case confirmed in Hong Kong</a>

Dutch broadcaster NOS reported that the re-infected patient in the Netherlands was an old person with a weakened immune system.

Virologist Marion Koopmans, cited by the NOS, said that it was common for people to remain infected with the virus for a long time with mild symptoms. The infection flares up in some cases. Marion Koopmans said that genetic testing was required in both instances of infection to check whether there were any differences in the virus present.

"Not good News"

Virologist Marc Van Ranst told Dutch media that antibodies developed by the Belgian patient were not strong enough to fend off slightly different variant of the virus.

"It's not good news," Ranst was quoted as saying by NOS.

It is not yet clear whether the cases were one-off or there was a danger of a large number of people getting re-infected after they recovered from Covid-19.

Situation in Hong Kong:

On Monday, a man in Hong Kong was found to have been reinfected by coronavirus after a trip to Spain. He was infected in March and caught the virus again after his trip in mid-August.

Experts are warning the public to not let the guard down after recovery from the infection as the cases mentioned above show that some people did not have lifelong immunity against coronavirus.

Some experts however see a silver-lining. They say that re-infections were a sign of 'residual immunity' in the patient.

So what about the vaccine?

There is an ongoing global race to create coronavirus vaccine. While concerns remain about reinfection adding another element to the fray, some scientists are not willing to take 'rare examples' as something that derails the process of making a coronavirus vaccine.

Worrying news emerged from Belgium and Netherlands on Tuesday as Dutch media reported re-infections of coronavirus. A patient in the Netherlands and another in Belgium got infected after making recovery from Covid-19 infection the first time around.

Worrying news emerged from Belgium and Netherlands on Tuesday as Dutch media reported re-infections of coronavirus. A patient in the Netherlands and another in Belgium got infected after making recovery from Covid-19 infection the first time around. The development on Tuesday follows reports of the first known re-infection of coronavirus in Hong Kong. This has been confirmed by scientists. Also read | World’s 'first' coronavirus reinfection case confirmed in Hong Kong Dutch broadcaster NOS reported that the re-infected patient in the Netherlands was an old person with a weakened immune system. Virologist Marion Koopmans, cited by the NOS, said that it was common for people to remain infected with the virus for a long time with mild symptoms. The infection flares up in some cases. Marion Koopmans said that genetic testing was required in both instances of infection to check whether there were any differences in the virus present. "Not good News" Virologist Marc Van Ranst told Dutch media that antibodies developed by the Belgian patient were not strong enough to fend off slightly different variant of the virus. "It's not good news," Ranst was quoted as saying by NOS. It is not yet clear whether the cases were one-off or there was a danger of a large number of people getting re-infected after they recovered from Covid-19. Situation in Hong Kong: On Monday, a man in Hong Kong was found to have been reinfected by coronavirus after a trip to Spain. He was infected in March and caught the virus again after his trip in mid-August. Experts are warning the public to not let the guard down after recovery from the infection as the cases mentioned above show that some people did not have lifelong immunity against coronavirus. Some experts however see a silver-lining. They say that re-infections were a sign of 'residual immunity' in the patient. So what about the vaccine? There is an ongoing global race to create coronavirus vaccine. While concerns remain about reinfection adding another element to the fray, some scientists are not willing to take 'rare examples' as something that derails the process of making a coronavirus vaccine.

Second wave of Covid-19? Re-infections in Belgium and the Netherlands make experts wary

The COVID-19 pandemic is still expanding, but the rise in cases and deaths has slowed globally, except for Southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean regions, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

In its latest epidemiological update, issued on Monday night, it said that the Americas remains the hardest-hit region, accounting for half of the newly reported cases and 62% of the 39,240 deaths worldwide in the past week.

More than 23.65 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally and 811,895 have died, according to a Reuters tally on Tuesday.

"Over 1.7 million new COVID-19 cases and 39,000 new deaths were reported to WHO for the week ending 23 August, a 4% decrease in the number of cases and (a 12% decrease) in the number of deaths compared to the previous week," the WHO said.

Southeast Asia, the second most affected region, reported a jump accounting for 28% of new cases and 15% of deaths, it said. India continues to report the majority of cases, but the virus is also spreading rapidly in Nepal. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/south-korea-orders-schools-to-be-shut-in-seoul-amid-surge-in-virus-cases-322891">Also Read:&nbsp;South Korea orders schools to be shut in Seoul amid surge in virus cases</a>

In WHO's eastern Mediterranean region, the number of reported cases rose by 4%, but the number of reported deaths has consistently dropped over the last six weeks, the WHO said. Lebanon, Tunisia and Jordan reported the highest increase in cases compared to the previous week. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/worlds-first-coronavirus-reinfection-case-confirmed-in-hong-kong-322896">Also read | World’s 'first' coronavirus reinfection case confirmed in Hong Kong</a> 
 
The number of cases and deaths reported across Africa decreased by 8% and 11% respectively in the past week, "primarily due to a decrease in cases reported in Algeria, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal and South Africa", it said.

"In the European region, the number of cases reported has consistently increased over the last three weeks," it said. "However, only a slight decrease (1%) was reported in the most recent week, and the number of deaths has continued to decrease across the region."

In WHO's western Pacific region, the number of new cases dropped by 5%, driven by less spread in Japan, Australia, Singapore, China and Vietnam. South Korea reported an 180% jump in cases, "mainly due to an increase in cases associated with religious gatherings".

The COVID-19 pandemic is still expanding, but the rise in cases and deaths has slowed globally, except for Southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean regions, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

The COVID-19 pandemic is still expanding, but the rise in cases and deaths has slowed globally, except for Southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean regions, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. In its latest epidemiological update, issued on Monday night, it said that the Americas remains the hardest-hit region, accounting for half of the newly reported cases and 62% of the 39,240 deaths worldwide in the past week. More than 23.65 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally and 811,895 have died, according to a Reuters tally on Tuesday. "Over 1.7 million new COVID-19 cases and 39,000 new deaths were reported to WHO for the week ending 23 August, a 4% decrease in the number of cases and (a 12% decrease) in the number of deaths compared to the previous week," the WHO said. Southeast Asia, the second most affected region, reported a jump accounting for 28% of new cases and 15% of deaths, it said. India continues to report the majority of cases, but the virus is also spreading rapidly in Nepal. Also Read: South Korea orders schools to be shut in Seoul amid surge in virus cases In WHO's eastern Mediterranean region, the number of reported cases rose by 4%, but the number of reported deaths has consistently dropped over the last six weeks, the WHO said. Lebanon, Tunisia and Jordan reported the highest increase in cases compared to the previous week. Also read | World’s 'first' coronavirus reinfection case confirmed in Hong Kong The number of cases and deaths reported across Africa decreased by 8% and 11% respectively in the past week, "primarily due to a decrease in cases reported in Algeria, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal and South Africa", it said. "In the European region, the number of cases reported has consistently increased over the last three weeks," it said. "However, only a slight decrease (1%) was reported in the most recent week, and the number of deaths has continued to decrease across the region." In WHO's western Pacific region, the number of new cases dropped by 5%, driven by less spread in Japan, Australia, Singapore, China and Vietnam. South Korea reported an 180% jump in cases, "mainly due to an increase in cases associated with religious gatherings".

Pandemic pace slows worldwide except for Southeast Asia, Eastern Mediterranean: WHO

World Health Organization(WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the coronavirus epedicmic was the one of the toughest challenges the UN health agency has faced, while asserting that "supply nationalism exacerbated the pandemic and contributed to the total failure of the global supply chain."

Watch:

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"For a period of time, some countries were without key supplies, such as key items for health workers who were dealing with surging cases of COVID-19," Tedros said.

"And many countries still do not have enough," the WHO chief said, adding,"the response to this pandemic has to be collective. This is not charity, we have learned the hard way."

The WHO chief said that the "highest risk populations" should be protected first, than "the entire populations of just some countries."

"Sharing finite supplies strategically and globally is actually in each country's national interest. No one is safe until everyone is safe," Tedros stated.

Meanwhile, the head of the WHO's European branch, Hans Kluge told reporters that Europe can combat the new coronavirus without full lockdowns since authorities are now better prepared to handle outbreaks.

"We can manage the virus and keep the economy running and an education system in operation," he said. Europe has witnessed an outbreak of the virus in the past few months after being hit hard from February&nbsp;and April, even though the virus had faded but it has shown signs of coming back with Spain, Italy and Germany.

In the first week of August, 40,000 more cases were reported in Europe.

"But we are not in February, we can manage the virus differently now than we did when COVID-19 first emerged," Kluge said.

World Health Organization(WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the coronavirus epedicmic was the one of the toughest challenges the UN health agency has faced, while asserting that "supply nationalism exacerbated the pandemic and contributed to the total failure of the global supply chain.

World Health Organization(WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the coronavirus epedicmic was the one of the toughest challenges the UN health agency has faced, while asserting that "supply nationalism exacerbated the pandemic and contributed to the total failure of the global supply chain." Watch: "For a period of time, some countries were without key supplies, such as key items for health workers who were dealing with surging cases of COVID-19," Tedros said. "And many countries still do not have enough," the WHO chief said, adding,"the response to this pandemic has to be collective. This is not charity, we have learned the hard way." The WHO chief said that the "highest risk populations" should be protected first, than "the entire populations of just some countries." "Sharing finite supplies strategically and globally is actually in each country's national interest. No one is safe until everyone is safe," Tedros stated. Meanwhile, the head of the WHO's European branch, Hans Kluge told reporters that Europe can combat the new coronavirus without full lockdowns since authorities are now better prepared to handle outbreaks. "We can manage the virus and keep the economy running and an education system in operation," he said. Europe has witnessed an outbreak of the virus in the past few months after being hit hard from February and April, even though the virus had faded but it has shown signs of coming back with Spain, Italy and Germany. In the first week of August, 40,000 more cases were reported in Europe. "But we are not in February, we can manage the virus differently now than we did when COVID-19 first emerged," Kluge said.

Supply nationalism exacerbated the pandemic, many countries still do not have enough: WHO chief Tedros

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has suspended all activity until April 30 including all events in the World Triathlon and Continental calendars due to the coronavirus outbreak, the governing body said on Saturday.

All world rankings, Olympic qualification rankings, para-triathlon rankings and Paralympic qualification rankings will be frozen from Monday as a result, it added.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-recommends-march-april-internationals-be-postponed-286302">FIFA recommends March, April internationals be postponed</a>

"This is a decision that is hard to take and... we are taking it with the health and safety of athletes, coaches, officials, facilitators, staff, volunteers and spectators, all the triathlon family, as the top priority," ITU President Marisol Casado said in a statement.

"We are taking this decision convinced that we all have to take our part to prevent and stop the spread of the virus. It is our responsibility, as a society.

Also see:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/how-the-coronavirus-has-hit-global-sport-286200"> How the coronavirus has hit global sport</a>

"Having our athletes, coaches, officials and staff travelling around the world at this challenging time is not something that we in World Triathlon are willing to risk."

More than 138,000 people have been infected globally and over 5,000 have died in the pandemic, according to a source's tally of government announcements.

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has suspended all activity until April 30 including all events in the World Triathlon and Continental calendars due to the coronavirus outbreak, the governing body said on Saturday.

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has suspended all activity until April 30 including all events in the World Triathlon and Continental calendars due to the coronavirus outbreak, the governing body said on Saturday. All world rankings, Olympic qualification rankings, para-triathlon rankings and Paralympic qualification rankings will be frozen from Monday as a result, it added. Also read: FIFA recommends March, April internationals be postponed "This is a decision that is hard to take and... we are taking it with the health and safety of athletes, coaches, officials, facilitators, staff, volunteers and spectators, all the triathlon family, as the top priority," ITU President Marisol Casado said in a statement. "We are taking this decision convinced that we all have to take our part to prevent and stop the spread of the virus. It is our responsibility, as a society. Also see: How the coronavirus has hit global sport "Having our athletes, coaches, officials and staff travelling around the world at this challenging time is not something that we in World Triathlon are willing to risk." More than 138,000 people have been infected globally and over 5,000 have died in the pandemic, according to a source's tally of government announcements.

Triathlon: World body suspends all events due to coronavirus