Did you already have COVID-19?What to watch out for and why to wear a mask

But that doesn’t mean they ended up with COVID-19.

It’s been less than a year since scientists first identified SARS-CoV-2. It rocked the planet, infecting at least 64 million people and killing more than 1.4 million people.

“There’s a lot we’re learning and we don’t know yet,” said a medical expert at the Minnesota Department of Health in the Infectious Diseases Department studying COVID-19 and its long-term effects. Dr. Nick Renelz said.

In Minnesota, the coronavirus killed more than 3,800 people and sent an additional 17,600 to hospitals, of which nearly 4,000 were in need of critical care.

Vaccines are expected to be available soon to a very limited number of healthcare professionals and caregivers. In the meantime, it is important for everyone else to understand what scientists now know about coronavirus infection, recovery, immunity, and reinfection. Here are the answers to some common questions:

How contagious are people?

The incubation period for SARS-CoV-2 is usually 2 to 14 days after infection with the coronavirus. Many people do not experience any symptoms and most people are infected before they become aware of the infection.

Therefore, it is important to understand that a negative test one day does not mean that there is no infection after a few days.

Lehnertz says there is also a difference between quarantine and quarantine.

Persons exposed to or suspected of being infected with COVID-19 should be quarantined at home for 14 days, regardless of whether they have symptoms or a negative test.

On the other hand, people who test positive for COVID-19 should be quarantined from other members of the family for at least 10 days after the onset of symptoms, preferably for the longer period.

“Generally speaking, you can be transmitted up to 9 days after the onset of symptoms,” Lehnertz said.

Long-term health problems

Most people infected with COVID-19 feel better within a week or two after the onset of symptoms. Nevertheless, viruses are known to have dramatically different effects on different people.

A few people infected with the coronavirus experience symptoms such as malaise and physical pain for weeks or months after they first get sick. Little is known about these so-called “long-haul carriers,” but Renelz says many clinics across the country are studying patients with persistent symptoms.

There are also some other health concerns that may occur in people who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

One of the most well-known is Pediatric Inflammation Syndrome. It is usually found in children and causes various organs to become inflamed. To date, 42 cases have been diagnosed in Minnesota with no deaths.

There are also short-term complications such as poor concentration, depression, muscle aches, and palpitations. More serious long-term effects that have been recorded include heart irritation, breathing problems, and kidney damage.

Little is known about why these conditions occur and the permanent consequences of being infected with COVID-19. Health officials say people who recover from their illness need to monitor other symptoms and health concerns and contact their doctor.

“Everyone knows himself,” Reneltz said. “People will know when something is wrong.”

Can people get it twice?

The simple answer is yes, but it’s probably rare. Science is complex and there are still many unknowns.

Lehnertz says that of the 64 million known COVID-19 cases worldwide, only a handful have proven reinfection. To prove reinfection, scientists need to make sure that both strains of SARS-CoV-2 that have infected an individual are compared.

The virus is constantly mutating over time, and COVID-19 has several identifiable different strains. Sequencing the DNA of two samples collected from the same person at different times is the only real way to know for sure if someone has been infected twice.

“That’s the gold standard,” Lehnertz said. “That’s when we can see, yeah, this is completely different.”

More common, but still unlikely, are people who repeatedly test positive for the same strain of coronavirus over a long period of time. These people can shed fragments of the virus for weeks or months and become repeatedly positive, but they are not suspected of being infected after the initial infection period.

How long does immunity last?

This is a question that takes longer to answer.

There is some evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies that fight the virus for months. Elsewhere, the presence of antibodies begins to decline after some time.

The failure to detect antibodies does not mean that the immune system does not remember how to fight COVID-19.

It will probably take years for scientists to get a clear picture of SARS-CoV-2 immunity and how often it needs to be vaccinated against it.

“When pushes come in, we don’t fully understand the duration of immunity and how it affects a second infection,” Lehnertz said.

In fact, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that people who have recovered from a coronavirus infection may still benefit from vaccination. The guidance, published in late November, cites all current unknown factors regarding the coronavirus.

The question is when previously infected individuals are eligible for vaccination.

Masking and social distance

With so many unanswered questions about COVID-19, for the time being, health officials should wear masks, keep social distances, avoid crowds, and stay home when sick. Is called.

The main reason for these mitigation efforts is to protect those who are not yet ill, especially those who are medically vulnerable.

However, little is known about the long-term effects, so there are good reasons to protect those who believe they have recovered from COVID-19.

“Wearing a mask is not a big requirement,” Lehnertz said. “We’re all together, right? Wear a mask and stay 6 feet away. It’s not strict.”