If you’ve ever had Covid-19, here’s what you should know about vaccines, variants and more

Scientists are not surprised to see the coronavirus changing and evolving – that’s what viruses do, after all. And with so much uncontrolled spread by the United States and other parts of the world, the virus is having many opportunities to do just that.

So far, three variants circulating around the world have been identified and are receiving a lot of attention: variant B.1.1.7 was first identified in the United Kingdom, variant B.1.351 was first identified in South Africa and variant P.1 was the first identified in Brazil.

In the same briefing, the director of the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said that every Covid-19 case in the United States should now be treated as if it were caused by one of the recently identified variants of the coronavirus.

Another reason why the risk of reinfection remains somewhat mysterious is because it is not yet clear how long Covid-19 antibodies can last in your body.

How long will my antibodies last?

“What we do know is that when someone is infected with Covid-19, they get antibodies that can last,” said Crespo. “But now the new science that is emerging is that some of the variants of the coronavirus can escape the antibodies and can be potentially infectious to someone who has already been infected with a known variant of Covid-19.”

“Those who developed reinfection had asymptomatic infections,” said Smith in his email. Smith added that anecdotal evidence from his hospital’s experience in managing Covid-infected health workers suggests that antibodies are likely to protect against reinfection.

“To date, approximately 0.5% of healthcare professionals have experienced reinfection events, although we recognize that we have not systematically checked for Covid antibodies as in the Oxford study,” said Smith, who was not involved in the study.

People who have been infected with Covid-19 are likely to be protected from contagion again for at least five months, according to a new study conducted by Public Health England.

But the researchers warned that protection is not absolute, meaning that some people get the virus again, and it is unclear how long immunity lasts. It is also possible that those who have a certain degree of immunity against the virus are still able to carry the virus in their nose or throat and therefore pass it on to others.

Do I need to get the vaccine if I have already had Covid-19?

Health officials and doctors encourage people who took Covid-19 to be vaccinated. Data from late-stage clinical trials suggested that the vaccines are safe and helped to protect people with previous Covid-19 infections from reinfection. This regardless of whether your previous case is mild or severe.

“Even if someone had a natural Covid-19, my recommendation is to be vaccinated as soon as the vaccine is available to you,” said Smith.

“It is very clear that the two vaccines available offer a high level of protection, measured in the neutralizing antibody titers. This can be particularly important for people who have had an asymptomatic or mild infection,” she said. “Having a higher level of antibody titers to start with will protect you longer.”

Smith added that the Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, authorized for emergency use in the United States, appear to provide some protection against emerging variants of the coronavirus that circulate around the world.

“We are not sure whether natural immunity will protect someone from being infected with the new strains,” said Smith.

A person who is currently sick with Covid-19 should, however, wait to receive the vaccine after their symptoms have disappeared and they can get out of isolation. There is no recommended minimum time between infection and vaccination.

In addition, there is no safety data on people who have received antibody therapy or convalescent plasma to treat a Covid-19 infection. As reinfection appears to be unusual in the 90 days after the initial infection, as a precaution, the CDC recommends that the person wait at least 90 days.

There is no data to show that a vaccine would protect someone who has been exposed recently. A person is not fully protected until a week or two after receiving the second dose of the vaccine.

Do I need two doses of the vaccine?

Currently, it is recommended that people follow this vaccination schedule until further research is carried out and health authorities recommend otherwise.

“The concept of giving only a booster vaccine to those who had a natural infection was raised as a way to preserve the limited supply of vaccine and make it available to those who never developed Covid infection,” said Smith.

“Of course, people who have had Covid infection are likely to start with a baseline of some detectable neutralizing antibody, so you are not starting from scratch like you would for individuals who have never had Covid,” said Smith.

“However, the amount of neutralizing antibodies decreases over time, so this needs to be carefully studied before being implanted,” she said. “We would need data to determine the ideal time for strengthening the natural infection and whether the duration of protection is equivalent to the protection you get with two doses of the vaccine.”

Smith added that coronavirus variants would also remain a risk.

“We are also unsure about variant strains and how antibodies developed from a natural infection protect someone against a new strain. The vaccines have been tested and offer protection based on limited data,” said Smith. “Finally, this approach would require patients to test antibodies before vaccination and that may not be available to everyone.”

Can I still be experiencing persistent effects from Covid-19?

Many survivors of Covid-19 may experience symptoms for weeks or months.

“Patients may experience severe and persistent fatigue, headaches, ‘brain fog’, mild cognitive impairment / difficulty in thinking or concentrating, joint pain, coughing, shortness of breath, intermittent fevers, changes in taste and smell, among other symptoms, “said Smith. “These persistent symptoms can last up to 12 weeks and many say that the symptoms increase and decrease or come and go during that time.”

If you suffer from permanent symptoms of Covid-19 it may depend on the severity of the illness you have.

“Some people have mild symptoms and recover quickly and have no major problems. One of the side effects that we see often is chronic fatigue,” said Crespo.

“It appears that with patients with Covid-19, it is one of the common symptoms that can last for several months,” he added. “In addition, if patients have had significant lung involvement with severe pneumonia, they may have difficulty recovering from that persistent shortness of breath, coughing and easy tiredness.”

Crespo added that even if you have prolonged effects, it is still important to get the Covid-19 vaccine when it’s your turn.

“They should get the vaccine,” he said. “I don’t think that prolonged effects have a particular effect on the response to the vaccine.”