Nonagenarian woman infected with both Alpha, Beta COVID variants dies

Initially, there were no signs of respiratory distress and the patient had good oxygen saturation. However, she developed rapidly worsening respiratory symptoms and died five days later.

Brussels: A 90-year-old unvaccinated woman in Belgium has died after being simultaneously infected with Alpha and Beta -- two different variants of concern (VOCs) of COVID-19, researchers have said. The case advocates the need to be alert to co-infections. A team of researchers from the OLV Hospital in Aalst, presented the nonagenarian woman's case at the ongoing 2021 European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, taking place online between July 9 and 12. "This is one of the first documented cases of co-infection with two SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern," said lead author and molecular biologist Dr Anne Vankeerberghen from the OLV Hospital.