Covid patient who tested positive for 411 days is finally cleared

The man, now 59, was unable to get rid of an early Covid variant, according to experts from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, and King’s College London.

However, thanks to a cocktail of drugs, doctors have reported that the man is now testing negative.

Covid patient cleared from virus after 411 days

Guys and St Thomas' Hospital in London, as a patient who had Covid-19 for 411 days. (PA) (Image: PA)

The man has a weakened immune system following a kidney transplant.

He is thought to be one of the longest-living patients with a persistent Covid infection.

The same team has previously treated a patient that tested positive for Covid for 505 days but they subsequently died.

In the latest case, medics detected the man’s ongoing infection by analysing the genetics of the strain of the virus he was carrying.

He was then given a cocktail of neutralising antibodies (Regeneron) known to be effective against early coronavirus variants, which finally allowed his body to get rid of Covid.

Originally testing positive in December 2020, the man's symptoms were reported to have gone away, according to the research published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

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However, the patient continued to test positive intermittently until January 2022.

The emergence of new Covid variants has meant neutralising antibody treatments are now largely ineffective, the medics have warned.

Dr Luke Snell, from Guy’s & St Thomas’, said: “Some new variants of the virus are resistant to all the antibody treatments available in the UK and Europe.

“Some people with weakened immune systems are still at risk of severe illness and becoming persistently infected. We are still working to understand the best way to protect and treat them.”