Good Housekeeping
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Obtaining COVID-19 twice is possible, but reinfection is extremely rare, according to officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Scientists are still researching how long natural immunity lasts on average and how COVID-19 antibodies can prevent future infections; one study estimates an 8-month interval of enhanced immunity.
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New variants of the coronavirus may pose a threat to those who recovered from COVID-19 in early 2020, experts say.
For health experts, there are still then A lot of We still have to learn about the new coronavirus – but if one thing is certain, it is that COVID-19 infections are evolving this winter due to new strains that experts have not seen before. With more than 24 million cases of COVID-19 reported in the United States in the past 11 months, some are wondering whether these new variants could cause reinfection, even if they overcame the disease the first time. As is standard with most of our questions about COVID-19, there is no simple answer – but the shortest is that the variants, old and new, can really make you sick again. Obtaining COVID-19 twice is possible, but it is more complicated (and rare!) Than you can imagine.
Scientists are quickly identifying new variants that are spreading around the world. One of the first variations of COVID-19 was identified in the UK, but it’s not as problematic for experts as other strains, mainly a variant known as B.1.351, whose origins date back largely to South Africa. There are three other variants that have been flagged for being able to spread very quickly, according to officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and scientists are concerned that these strains may undergo additional mutation to impact vaccination efforts, reports CNN. But the variant tracked for the first time in South Africa has already shown signs that it can overcome any immunity granted to people, either because they have already been sick or because they received a vaccine.
“These variants are getting smarter; they’re just adapting to be able to grow better in humans … even without having to adapt to the vaccine,” says Nelson Michael, MD., the director of the Infectious Disease Research Center at the Walter Reed Army Research Institute. “What worries me about this variant [discovered in South Africa] is that, as he became better at replicating, he also happened to develop the types of characteristics that make him less susceptible to the monoclonal antibodies that we developed, some therapies and tools, such as vaccines, to prevent infection. “
But Dr. Michael says that most health experts are confident that vaccinations will work to stem the spread of all variants of COVID-19. The first data suggest that a complete vaccination provides enough antibodies to combat a number of variants, as reported by Guardian, but most importantly, Dr. Michael explains that vaccine manufacturers are already actively adjusting their vaccines for the foreseeable future to better respond to certain variants.
Is it possible to be infected again with COVID-19?
Yes, but the likelihood of this happening is crude. Current CDC language states that “reinfection with COVID-19 has been reported, but remains rare” in general. Reinfection means that you have successfully overcome COVID-19 at some point, fully recovered and tested negative for an active SARS-CoV-2 infection, before contracting the virus again at a later date (even if you do not show symptoms) . Many experts, including those at the CDC, say that confirmed reinfections are very rare – but the problem here may be that health professionals have trouble determining when the first infection is over and when the second infection begins.
“For almost all doctors who care for patients with COVID, there have been questions raised about whether some of their patients may actually have had a second infection,” he explains. William Schaffner, MD., the medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, adding that most data suggests natural immunity lasts at least 6 months. “But occasionally, there are people who, even within six months, think they may have been infected twice – they may have been, but we just don’t have enough scientific information to confirm that a second infection has occurred.”
What is clear, however, is that anyone who has immunity – either because they recovered from COVID-19 directly or because they received a vaccine – should continue to take preventive measures to avoid getting sick twice. The two doctors agree: immunity and its antibodies produced by an infection do not make you invincible, but they can help your body fight smaller, targeted amounts of SARS-CoV-2, should you encounter it again.
How long does COVID-19 immunity last? Will this protect me from new strains?
Like many other aspects of this disease, scientists are still researching to determine a firm period of time for how long the antibodies are active in those who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. A specific study may provide some insights into a definitive future answer, despite the fact that it has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. The researchers reviewed antibody counts in more than 180 confirmed cases of COVID-19, tracking them over time. The results suggest that antibodies and other immunity signifiers were observed up to eight months after the first infection, but found some variation in the number of antibodies produced between individuals. It is not clear why some individuals had higher antibody counts compared to others.
With so much talk about the new variants of COVID-19, you may be wondering if a mutated version of SARS-CoV-2 could render any acquired immunity ineffective? Although it has not been widely documented, Dr. Michael says it is possible and that his second case of COVID-19 may be very different from the first.
“Being infected with a new strain may be something that you don’t realize at first because you have enough immunity to essentially fight almost all of the side effects that come from this second infection,” he explains, adding that these infections can go undiagnosed. “Not to say, well, this is great – because you can pass it on to someone who is very susceptible to any kind of tension.”
The best way to avoid a second infection is to remain vigilant about practicing social detachment, hand hygiene and wearing masks whenever you are in public – and when the time comes, receive a vaccine. You will likely continue to receive new vaccines as new variants are developed in the future, explains Dr. Schaffner.
“Current vaccines appear to be capable of preventing serious illnesses, even when dealing with a known variant. So there will be at least partial protection, ”he adds, using the annual flu vaccine as an example. “We have to reconfigure this vaccine annually, and even if you do get the flu after taking it, it’s almost invariably a milder, less serious case.”
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