A woman in South Korea has tested positive for Covid-19 a second time.

This is the first case of reinfection in the country.

Tested positive one week later

The 73-year-old woman originally contracted the virus in earlier in February, reported Yonhap News Agency.

She was placed under quarantine, and was released from the hospital on Feb. 22 after making a full recovery.

However, she started showing symptoms again six days later, and was diagnosed with Covid-19 a second time on Feb. 28, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated.

This is the first incident of a person in South Korea being infected again after being discharged.

The woman did not travel overseas, although her son and daughter-in-law were both infected—they had recently visited Guangdong, China.

After her release, the woman claimed she stayed indoors, according to local health authorities.

As of Feb. 28, there are a total of 2,931 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with 594 new cases reported on Saturday.

17 people have died in South Korea.

Possibility of reinfection not ruled out

Recently, the first case of reinfection occurred in Japan.

A female tour guide, who had interacted with a busload of tourists from Wuhan tested positive for Covid-19 a few weeks after she was discharged.

Although much about Covid-19 remains unknown, the possibility of reinfection has not been ruled out.

Medical experts have said that reinfection is possible despite patients recovering fully.

A professor of Microbiology and Pathology at NYU School of Medicine, Philip Tierno Jr., said via Reuters that the infection could "remain dormant and with minimal symptoms", but that patients could experience an "exacerbation'.

However, head of infectious diseases at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Zhan Qingyuan, stated that people who had been infected would have developed antibodies that can combat the virus, according to South China Morning Post.

MOH says discharged patients "not a threat"

The Singapore government though, has assured citizens that patients discharged from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases have fully recovered.

The Ministry of Health's director of medical services Kenneth Mak explained on Feb. 29 that these patients are "not a threat" for transmitting the virus, as they undergo numerous tests before discharge, reported CNA.

Nasal and throat swabs are conducted, and even swabs on urine and fecal samples.

There is also a process in place for calling back discharged patients for further reviews if needed.

Discharged patients are encouraged to stay at home and avoid crowded places.

Top photo from Getty Images