Three Citizens Test Positive for Coronavirus Again After Being Discharged from Hospital, Minister Says

Today, on May 4, during an extraordinary session of the National Assembly’s Committee on Health and Social Affairs, Health Minister Arsen Torosyan spoke about the data concerning new coronavirus infections and recoveries, stating that it is possible for a citizen who has been infected and recovered from the coronavirus to contract it again. The minister provided an example in which three citizens tested positive for the virus again after being discharged from the hospital.

“We have isolated them again to prevent potential transmission. Similar cases have been recorded in China and South Korea; this is not a case of re-infection, but rather the preservation of viral particles in the tissues of the oral cavity and throat, which are identified through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) within two to three months. The detection method operates not on the viral particle itself, but on the genetic material contained within the virus, which can exist in an inactive state without a capsule. It does not multiply or get released,” the minister stated.