Medical experts have explained how it is possible for a positive COVID-19 patient to turn negative within few days, even without proper treatment.
They listed strong immune system and ‘a false positive’ result among major reasons.
InsideOyo.com notes that examples of such are that of Governor Seyi Makinde and the University College Hospital, UCH Medical Director, Jesse Otegbayo which turned negative in few days.
In an interview with Premium Times, a renowned virologist, Oyewale Tomori, said it is possible for a positive case to become negative without necessarily undergoing treatment.
He also said the virus can leave a body with strong immunity.
”You want to look at the scenario of when he got infected. At what stage of the disease were test one and test two done?
“The laboratory test also contributes to this. Was the right sample taken? Was it well stored? Was it well delivered?
“The way your body will clear a virus is different from the way my body will clear a virus, even without treatment. So if your immunity is that strong, it can clear anything,” he said.
The former regional virologist for the World Health Organisation also said some people are not showing any symptoms of the virus yet the laboratory results shows they are positive.
“So we have to take each case by its own merit,” he said.
Also, Henry Ewunonu, a pathologist, said the negative result means the virus has been cleared from the body.
This he said is possible due to the body immunity of the carrier.
“The immunity might have cleared out the COVID-19 virus in his system within that short period of time. There are people with such super immunity,” he said.
He also said there might have been a case of ‘false positive’ because of either human or machine error.
“At the second point of testing he might have had a false negative. Meaning he might still be having the virus but due to human error, the result came out negative.
“The last possibility is the phase of the infection when he was tested. Was he in the recovery stage already?.
“The COVID-19 virus is still new so for now all facts are imagined,” he said.
In the same vein, Olaide Shuaib, a Medical Laboratory Scientist explains how the COVID-19 virus detection and treatment works.
”When a person has a viral infection, the severity of the infection has to do with the mode of entry, the viral load, the replication and the receptor.
”The receptor is what the virus will bind unto. If there is no receptor for the infection, then the person won’t be down with the viral infection, ” he said.
Mr Shuaib explained what might have happened in the UCH chief’s case.
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University College Hospital (UCH), Jesse Otegbayo
”COVID-19 has 45 circles before it could be detected in the system.
“The circle is when the positive and negative situation can be ascertained. This varies depending on the viral load in the body system.
“If a person has CT of 20, that means the viral load is much in the system of the carrier. When this is the case, it will take at least 15 days before treatment will be able to cater for the infection.
“If the person has CT of 45 that means the viral load in the body system is lower. It will just take a few days of treatment to cater for the infection.
“This is the case of the CMD, he doesn’t have many viruses in his body system. That was why the treatment was able to cater for the infection in just four days, ” he said.
Mike Ogirima, a Professor of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery said it is possible for a positive case to become negative once the virus leaves the body.
NMA President, Mike Ogirima, a professor of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery
“It is possible, depending on the period you caught him to be positive before. It is a neurological reaction and if the virus is no more in the system, of course, you may not be able to find the trace of the antigen in the system.
“But if you look for the antibody which is the principle neurologists use for vaccine production, the antibody will be there. But he is negative, he can’t infect any other person,” he said.
