HIV positive woman carried COVID-19 for 216 days, the virus mutated 32 times inside her body!

Researchers in South Africa have reported a potentially dangerous case of a 36 year old HIV positive woman who had carried COVID-19 virus in her body for a staggering 216 days. The virus mutated more than 30 times in a period of six months inside her body.

New Delhi: Researchers in South Africa have reported a potentially dangerous case of a 36 year old HIV positive woman who had carried COVID-19 virus in her body for a staggering 216 days. The virus mutated more than 30 times in a period of six months inside her body. The case was first reported in a not peer-reviewed medical journal medRxiv on June 3. According to the report, the woman 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.Some of these mutations have been seen in variants of concern, such as the Alpha variant (first reported in the UK) and Beta variant (first reported in South Africa). The woman whose identity is not revealed, was first diagnosed with HIV in 2006 and her immune system has been consistently weakening over time.