TESTING positive for coronavirus is stressful and for most people it only happens once or twice.
But one man has revealed that he has tested positive for the virus 78 days in a row – and hasn’t left his home for 14 months.
Muzaffer Kayasan first tested positive for coronavirus in November 2020.
Despite having leukaemia, the 56-year-old said he didn’t have severe symptoms with the virus and was discharged from hospital soon after infection.
In the UK, rules state that you currently have to isolate for five days after testing positive for coronavirus.
The rule had first been 14 days, before being reduced to seven days, if you had a negative test on day six and seven, and then five.
In Turkey, where Muzaffer is, the rules on isolation mean that you have to isolate for seven days after becoming infected.
Since first catching the bug, he has spent nine months in hospital and another five months at his home in Istanbul.
Muzaffer has been unable to have physical contact with his wife and son during this time, but they have been able to visit.
He said that at first he thought he was just a carrier of the illness, but he has now learned that that is ‘not the case’.
“I think I am more exposed to the virus”, he said. Even a cat passing by the window can infect me,” he joked.
“I was recovered, but I still have the remnants of Covid-19 in my body. This is the only explanation I was given for the positive tests,” he added.
“I have no problem here other than being unable to touch my loved ones.
“It is very hard. I can’t even get vaccinated because of my condition.”
VIRAL LOAD
Muzaffer’s situation is rare, but scientists have conducted studies into why people continue to test positive after their initial infection.
Experts at the lab of Whitehead Institute Member revealed that genetic sequences from coronavirus can integrate into the host cells (the human) in a process which is known as reverse transcription.
This means that there is still virus in the system which can continue to be picked up by tests.
PCR tests are more sensitive at picking up the virus than lateral flow tests and experts have previously said that lateral flows work best when you are not symptomatic.
The experts explained that the Covid virus can integrate into the human genome and that around eight per cent of our DNA actually already includes genomes from ancient viruses.
Author of the study Liguo Zhang explained: “SARS-CoV-2 is not a retrovirus, which means it doesn’t need reverse transcription for its replication.
“However, non-retroviral RNA virus sequences have been detected in the genomes of many vertebrate species, including humans.”
‘JUMPING GENES’
The experts studied different samples and found a genetic feature called a retrotransposon, also known as ‘jumping genes’.
These genes can be activated by a virus and are able to ‘jump’ in conditions of high stress.
Viruses place a high amount of stress on the body as your immune system is working hard to fight it off.
This is why some people might experience a high heart rate when they have Covid as the heart has to work harder to pump the blood around the body.
High stress conditions also include cancer or ageing – which are powerful tools when it comes to genetic change – which also helps explain Muzaffer’s situation.
