Health Headlines - 8-25-20

In today's health headlines we talk about whether someone can get COVID-19 more than once.

CAN SOMEONE CATCH COVID-19 MORETHAN ONCE?THAT'S SOMETHING RESEARCHERSHAVE BEEN WONDERING SINCE THEDISEASEEMERGED LAST YEAR AND ALMOSTNINE MONTHS LATER... ONE MAN INHONG KONG MAYPROVE THAT THE ANSWER IS... YES.MANDY GAITHER EXPLAINS.RESEARCHERS IN HONG KONG HAVEIDENTIFIED WHAT THEY SAY IS THEFIRST PERSON TO CATCH COVID-19TWICE.

UNTIL NOW MEDICAL EXPERTSWONDERED IF COVID-19 WOULDBEHAVE LIKE OTHERCORONAVIRUSES AND IF REINFECTIONWAS POSSIBLE.THE GOOD NEWS?

THE 33-YEAR-OLDMAN'S IMMUNE SYSTEM SEEMED TORECOGNIZE THE VIRUS THESECOND TIME AROUND.23 - 26DR. SANJAY GUPTA/ CNN CHIEFMEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: "THEPERSON WAS FIRST TIME EXPOSED TOTHIS VIRUS AND THEY WERENAIVE... AND THEN THEYDEVELOPED, YOU KNOW, THESESYMPTOMS,THESE MILD SYMPTOMS OF COUGH ANDFEVER AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

ANDTHEN 4 1/2 MONTHS LATER THEYGET EXPOSED AGAIN AND THE BODYIS PRODUCING THESE ANTIBODIES.AND WHILE THE PERSON ISINFECTED BY A TEST, THEY REALLYHAVE NO SYMPTOMS AT THIS POINT."ACCORDING TO THE PRE-PRINTSTUDY, THE MAN ONLY FOUND OUT HEWAS REINFECTED BECAUSE HE WASTRAVELING AND HAD TO BE TESTEDWHEN HE RETURNED TO HONG KONG.OTHERWISE HE WASASYMPTOMATIC THE SECOND TIMEAROUND.

BUT IT'S NOT CLEAR IFTHIS IS WOULD BE TRUE FOREVERYONE.1:18 - 1:29PROF. IVAN HUNG/RESEARCH TEAMBEHIND THE REPORT - ALT-CLINICAL PROFESSOR HONG KONGUNIVERSITY LI KA SHING FACULTYOF MEDICINE: "EVEN IF YOU HAVERECOVERED FROM A NATURALINFECTION IT DOESN'T MEAN YOUARE IMMUNIZED FOR LIFE.

THISVIRUS IS VERY SMART, ITKEEPS ON MUTATING.

SO THAT MEANSEVEN THOUGH YOU RECOVERED FROM ANATURAL INFECTION YOUSTILL NEED VACCINATION, NEED AMASK, AND KEEP YOUR SOCIALDISTANCING."FOR TODAY'S HEALTH MINUTE, I'MMANDY GAITHERSTAY WITH US -- WE'LL TAKE AFINAL PEEK AT YOUR FORECAST...