Muzaffer Kayasan, a 56-year-old man in Turkey, holds the record for the country's longest recorded coronavirus infection – testing positive for 14 continuous months. Kayasan is also a leukemia patient, and doctors believe that his lengthy infection could potentially stem from his compromised immune system.
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Findings from a 2021 New England Journal of Medicine study strengthen this hypothesis – patients with weakened immune systems were found to be at an elevated risk for longer COVID infections, in addition to severe acute respiratory syndrome. Kayasan's condition also makes him ineligible for a COVID vaccine – according to Turkey's Covid guidelines, those who test positive for the virus cannot receive a shot until they are fully recovered.
The patient is also stuck in quarantine due to his status – after receiving treatment at a hospital for nine months, he spent five months in isolation at home, unable to leave after 78 continuous positive tests.
Kayasan is appealing to local authorities to ease his quarantine, but despite his condition, is approaching the situation with a sense of humor. "I guess this is the female version of COVID – she has been obsessed with me," the patient joked after receiving another positive PCR test last week.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
