Introducing A Man From Turkey Named Muzaffer Kayasan, 78 Times Tested And Always Positive For COVID-19

Muzaffer Kayasan Photo via Twitter @onediocom

JAKARTA - Many of us wonder if we can get up to two times the coronavirus. Never mind twice, just once would have been stressful. Imagine this man from Turkey, 78 times officially tested positive for COVID-19.

His name is Muzaffer Kayasan. He could be the record holder for the longest infection period for any COVID-19 patient in Turkey.

He is 56 years old and has tested positive for the deadly disease 78 times since 2020. He is under a lot of stress due to being isolated at home and hospital for a total of 14 months.

Quoted from Turkish media, Daily Sabah, Monday 14 February, Kayasan, a leukemia patient, was first diagnosed with COVID-19 in November 2020 and was hospitalized.

He was discharged from the hospital after a short period of treatment. Then he returned to his home in Istanbul's Sarıyer district, awaiting a full recovery in self-isolation.

But that was only the beginning of his confinement. Self-isolation was discontinued after two weeks. But to his dismay, all 78 tests he carried out showed that Kayasan was still positive for COVID-19. He spent nine months in hospital and another five months at home in self-isolation.

This man even pleaded with the authorities to find a solution to his situation. He was forced to spend his days alone at home, only able to see his children and grandchildren through the window.

Kayasan told Ihlas News Agency (IHA), when he asked doctors about his situation, they said that tests continued to show positive results due to his weakened immune system due to leukemia. He said he survived on the drugs he was prescribed to keep his immune system in check.

"The process is very difficult," he lamented.

His wife lived with Kayasan for a while during his self-isolation and tested negative for COVID-19 twice. His son, who also spent time with him, also tested negative.

“I first thought I was a carrier, but this is not the case. Nobody but those who live with me. I think I was more exposed to the virus than they were," he said.

“Even a cat through the window could infect me,” he joked.

“I have recovered, but I still have remnants of COVID-19 in my body. This is the only explanation given to me for a positive test."

“I have no problem here other than not being able to touch the people I love. It is very difficult. I can't even get vaccinated because of my condition,” he laments.

When Muzaffer Kayasan first contracted COVID-19, he thought he was destined to die because he already had leukemia. Fourteen months and 78 consecutive positive tests later, he is still alive - and still battling to clear the infection.

Kayasan has the longest recorded continuous COVID-19 infection in Turkey. That could happen, doctors say, possibly because of a weakened immune system due to cancer. Even though he has been in and out of the hospital since November 2020, his spirits are still high.