BEIJING, February 27. /TASS/. About 14% of patients recovered from novel coronavirus have tested positive for the disease again in China’s Guangdong Province, the China Daily newspaper informed on Thursday.

"About 14% of patients recovered from novel pneumonia in the Guangdong Province have tested positive for coronavirus after their discharge from hospital during the period of medical supervision," the newspaper quotes Deputy Director of the Guangdong Centre of Disease Control And Prevention Song Tie as saying.

As of February 25, 841 people out of 1,347 infected have recovered from the disease in the Guangdong Province. Medical professionals believe that those recovered from the disease develop antibodies preventing them from contracting the novel coronavirus again.

Song Tie noted that young people who had recovered from the disease tend to develop antibodies within two weeks. "Even if they test positive, the risk of infection is low," the expert assured. However, he noted that some elderly persons take longer to develop the same antibodies. "Such patients still maintain virulence (they are contagious - TASS), and can get infected for a second time."

Cases of recovered patients testing positive for coronavirus depend on the severity of their symptoms and their general condition, medical professionals say.

On February 19, Guangdong Province’s officials ordered to extend the period of medical supervision of recovered patients that may still infect others with the disease. They must undergo medical supervision for at least 14 days after being discharged from hospital.

In late December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, central China. Coronavirus cases have been reported in at least 44 countries outside of China, including Russia. According to Chinese authorities, about 78,400 people have been infected with the virus in the country. The death toll has reached 2,744, while over 32,400 patients have recovered. WHO declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus a global health emergency and named the virus COVID-19.