• Nicole M Duggan, Stephanie M Ludy, Bryant C Shannon, Andrew T Reisner, and Susan R Wilcox.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: nmduggan@partners.org.
• Am J Emerg Med. 2021 Jan 1; 39: 256.e1-256.e3.

AbstractSince December 2019, COVID-19, the clinical syndrome associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, has infected more than 6.2 million people and brought the function of the global community to a halt. As the number of patients recovered from COVID-19 rises and the world transitions toward reopening, the question of acquired immunity versus the possibility of reinfection are critical to anticipating future viral spread. Here, we present a case of a patient previously recovered from COVID-19 who re-presents with new respiratory, radiographical, laboratory, and real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) findings concerning for possible re-infection. We review this case in the context of the evolving discussion and theories surrounding dynamic RT-PCR results, prolonged viral shedding, and the possibility of developed immunity. Understanding how to interpret dynamic and late-positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR results after primary infection will be critical for understanding disease prevalence and spread among communities worldwide.Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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