Covid-19: Turkish man may set a record after 14 months of continuous infection

Muzzafer Kayasan was first diagnosed with Covid-19 in November 2020

Turkish man Muzaffer Kayasan has had 78 positive Covid-19 tests. All photos by Reuters

He has had to self-isolate for 14 straight months.

Mr Kayasan's medicines are helping to control symptoms.

Mr Kayasan, who lives in Istanbul, chats with his granddaughter Azra, while maintaining a safe distance.

He administers eye drops as he rests at home.

Mr Kayasan tries to keep as active as possible, despite being confined to his home.

Regular visits from his granddaughter have helped Mr Kayasan to stay positive during his ordeal.

A Turkish man has been in isolation at his home and in hospital for 14 months after 78 coronavirus tests he underwent kept showing positive results, the official Covid-19 Turkey website reported.

Muzzafer Kayasan, a leukaemia patient, was first diagnosed with Covid-19 in November 2020 and was admitted to hospital, discharged after two weeks and returned to his home in Istanbul’s Sariyer district, awaiting full recovery in self-isolation.

But this was only the beginning of his long confinement.

According to global and Turkish Covid-19 measures, self-isolation is terminated after two weeks, a period recently reduced for coronavirus patients, if they test negative.

However, all 78 tests that Mr Kayasan underwent showed that he was still Covid-19 positive. He spent nine months in hospital and another five months at home in self-isolation, the local Ihlas news agency said.

Mr Kayasan appealed to authorities to find a solution to his situation, which forced him to spend his days alone at home where he can only see his children and grandchildren through a window.

Mr Kayasan’s doctors told him that the tests continue to return positive because of his frail immune system due to the leukaemia. He said he was surviving on drugs he was prescribed to keep his immune system bolstered.

“It is a very difficult process,” he said.

Mr Kayasan's wife stayed with him for a while during his self-isolation period 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 except them stayed with me. I think I am more exposed to the virus than them,” he said. “Even a cat passing by the window can infect me,” he joked.

“I was recovered, but I still have the remnants of Covid-19 in my body. This is the only explanation I was given for the positive tests."

Mr Kayasan said Covid-19 has curtailed his social life.

“I have no problem here other than being unable to touch my loved ones. It is very hard. I can’t even get vaccinated because of my condition,” he said.