Woman carries 'Covid infection for 216 days, develops 32 virus mutations'

Researchers in South Africa found a 36 year old woman with HIV carried the Covid-19 virus for 216 days and during this period, the virus gathered more than 30 mutations. The case report was published as a preprint in the medical journal medRxiv on June 3.

According to the report, the woman was diagnosed with HIV back in 2006 and her immune system has weakened consistently over time.

After she contracted Covid-19 in September 2020, the virus accumulated 13 mutations to the spike protein and 19 other genetic shifts that could change the behaviour of the virus.

According to the researchers, it was not clear if the woman passed on these mutations to others.

If further studies suggest a strong link between mutation and the spread of Covid-19 virus in HIV patients, it would be a cause of worry for India as it has almost 1 million people with untreated HIV infections.