How many times can I re-infect Covid?

2020, Covid Reinfection It was considered rare.

In 2021 Breakthrough infections It can occur in vaccinated individuals, but the risk was still low.

Neither is true in 2022.more Antigenic escape coronavirus mutant Appearing, reinfection and breakthrough infections appear more and more normal.

U.S. is not currently tracking Covid reinfection..But British researchers are at risk of reinfection Omicron Wave From last year Delta wave..

“I’m not surprised to see people get infected more than once a year,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, said in an interview with NBC News last week, but he’s optimistic. He added that he felt it was the target. Eventually, it settles into a seasonal event like the flu. (Fauci, who received two vaccine boosters, tested himself Positive for Covid On Wednesday, he says he has mild symptoms. )

Of course, just because reinfection is possible does not mean that people should give up all efforts to prevent them. Keeping up-to-date with vaccinations and wearing masks indoors in high-infection areas can reduce your risk.

This is what we know about reinfection.

Frankly, that’s right. Experts agree that reinfection is possible even for those who are already infected or who have the latest information on the vaccine.

“Unfortunately, reinfection is not uncommon for coronaviruses,” said Akiko Iwasaki, a professor at Yale University. “This is just the nature of this virus infection.”

The coronavirus that causes Covid is not unique — other types of coronavirus that cause the common cold can also be re-infected, Fauci said. However, these viruses do not change much, so these reinfections can occur every few years.

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This is not the case for SARS-CoV-2. especially, Rapidly evolving Omicron subvariant, Good at avoiding existing immunity. Combined with the fact that people’s immunity naturally declines over time, Iwasaki said, “it’s not so surprising that we see a lot of reinfections now.”

This is especially true for people infected with the original Omicron variant, Called BA.1 in winter. BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants — Currently building a foothold in the United States.. — It’s so different from BA.1 that there is no “guarantee” that past Omicron infections can protect you from subsequent submutants, she said.

According to experts, it is not possible to accurately count the number of times a person can be re-infected.

High level Covid is now prevalent in the United States.. , All of us are likely to be exposed to someone contagious and can be re-infected.

Whether a person will be re-infected Strength of immune response Dr. Julie McElrath, Head of Vaccination and Infectious Diseases at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, said when the person was exposed and whether he or she was recently vaccinated. Multiple exposures to the virus According to Machaer, it may have a silver lining, although it may not necessarily lead to symptoms.

Each time a person is exposed, the immune response matures and improves.

“We need to consider reinfection as part of the new normal,” she said. “These multiple exposures are expected to continuously improve the antibody response.”

Whether it is less susceptible to reinfection in the weeks following infection has not been specifically studied, Fauci said.

“We don’t know, but in the experience of other infectious diseases, if you are infected, you probably With a grace period of several months, you will continue to have sufficient immunity to prevent reinfection, “he said. “Most of the time there is a protection period of several months, but after that it turns out to be declining.”

However, that does not mean that reinfection in a shorter period of time is not possible.

“Anecdotally, we hear people get infected and get infected again four weeks later, but that happens,” Fauci said.

In most cases, due to the high level of immunity, reinfection may be less severe than previous infections.

“generally, Reinfection is milderIwasaki said. “You are less likely to get sick the second time.”

She added that a person may have been vaccinated and boosted since the first infection, giving higher levels of immunity in the first place. “And these types of infections tend to be milder.”

“Previous infections, immunity induced by previous infections, and immunity induced by vaccination continue to work very well in protection from serious illness,” Fauci said.

Still, some people get sick when they are re-infected. For example, if someone was exposed to a much larger amount of virus than the initial infection, or if their immunity to Covid was significantly reduced, Iwasaki said.

Elderly people with underlying illness or People with immunodeficiencyFauci said that even if vaccinated, even after a previous infection, it may not be protected from serious illness.

UK Public Health Services, UK equivalent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Track reinfections on a regular basis..

according to Latest analysis of PHESince mid-May, people with unvaccinated, young, or low viral load mild or asymptomatic infections are more likely to be re-infected.

According to Iwasaki, people with severe infections tend to have a stronger immune response to the virus. Still, its immune response diminishes over time.

“There is no guarantee that future infections will be prevented, whether they are mild or severe,” she said.

So far, there is no evidence that it is likely to be infected repeatedly. Long CovidOr a protracted symptom after infection, Fauci said.

Iwasaki agreed, adding that multiple infections are unlikely to increase the risk of long-term Covid, but scientists do not yet know.

“Immunologically, we have already had some immune response, so it is unlikely that we will have a long Covid after the second or third infection,” Iwasaki said.

But she added that she wouldn’t bet on it.

“The data is currently unavailable.”

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