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Nurses in protective gear talk to people in the reception area of the First People’s Hospital in Yueyang, Hunan Province, China, January 28, 2020.

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Reuters/Thomas Peter

A has sickened more than 82,000 people and killed more than 2,800. Cases have been recorded in 47 other countries.

Most , but people who’ve recovered could still get the virus again in the future.

That already happened to a tour guide in Japan – she recovered from the coronavirus, then tested positive for it again three weeks later.

The antibodies that patients are producing so far don’t necessarily last very long, one expert said.

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People who have gotten the new coronavirus and recovered can get it again in the future, health authorities say – the body does not become immune after infection.

On Wednesday, Japanese authorities reported the first confirmed case of reinfection. A tour guide in Osaka first tested positive for the coronavirus in late January, then was discharged from the hospital three weeks ago after showing signs of recovery. But she returned to the hospital after developing a sore throat and chest pain and tested positive for the coronavirus once again.