A new study indicated that adults over 65 face a higher risk of reinfection of the coronavirus, possibly due to weaker immune systems, although the overall incidence remains rare at less than 1%.
The findings published in The Lancet on Wednesday attracted more than 525,000 people in Denmark available for follow-up after two outbreaks of infection; the first occurring in the spring of 2020 and the second emerging from September to December 2020.
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Researchers at the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen determined the risk of reinfection through an analysis of PCR test data from the Danish microbiology database and excluded about 600 people who tested positive for the first time and more than 7,400 deaths from all diseases. causes. The team found that 72 of the 11,068 people who tested positive during the spring peak went on to test positive again, which translates to a 0.65% reinfection rate.
In addition, adults over 65 saw an “observed protection against repeated infections” of 47% compared to almost 80% protection among younger age groups. The researchers found no difference in the risk of reinfection between the sexes, nor a decrease in protection after more than seven months of follow-up.
“Our discovery that older people were more likely than younger people to have a positive test again if they had already tested positive can be explained by natural age-related changes in the immune systems of older adults,” wrote in part the study authors.
In view of the findings, the researchers emphasized the need for vaccination and mitigation measures among the elderly.
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“Our findings can inform decisions about which groups should be vaccinated and defend the vaccination of previously infected individuals because natural protection, especially among the elderly, cannot be relied on,” they wrote.
Researchers still face unknowns, such as the duration of natural protection induced by antibodies after contracting the virus, although some studies have suggested that this can last for about five months or more.