Turkish Man Tests Positive For Coronavirus 78 Times Over 14 Months: ‘Even A Passing Cat Can Infect Me’

NEW YORK (VINnews) — A Turkish man suffering from leukemia has tested positive for coronavirus no less than 78 times in the past 14 months but has remained cheerful and hopes to get well soon.

Muzaffer Kayasan, 56, was detected with the virus in November 2020 and has spent nine months in a hospital and five months alone battling the virus at home in Istanbul.

Doctors say his condition was possibly due to a weakened immune system since he suffers from cancer but Kayasan’s spirits have remained high. His condiction is now recorded as Turkey’s longest case of continuous COVID-19 infection.

Kayasan lost his sense of smell and taste during the long period of infection and asked authorities to ease his terms of isolation due to the length of his illness. Turkish regulations require seven-day isolation after a positive test. During his isolation, Kayasan had no physical contact with his family members even though they succeeded in visiting him.

“I think I am more susceptible to the virus,” Kayasan said. “Even if a cat passes near the window it could infect me.” He claims that he has fully recovered from the virus but has some residue in his system causing the positive tests.

Kayasan’s son says that “my father was always a positive person but not in this way.” He added that “he feels he is stuck at a red light and cannot pass it.”