Explainer: Coronavirus reappears in discharged patients, raising questions in containment fight

FILE PHOTO: A general view of building A3 of the Shanghai Public Clinical Center, where the coronavirus patients are quarantined, in Shanghai, China February 17, 2020. Noel Celis/Pool via REUTERS

SHANGHAI/LONDON (Reuters) - A growing number of discharged coronavirus patients in China and elsewhere are testing positive after recovering, sometimes weeks after being allowed to leave the hospital, which could make the epidemic harder to eradicate.

On Wednesday, the Osaka prefectural government in Japan said a woman working as a tour-bus guide had tested positive for the coronavirus for a second time. This followed reports in China that discharged patients throughout the country were testing positive after their release from the hospital.