COVID-19 Reinfections May Be Common —But They’re Not Harmless

By now, you may know—or be—someone who has had COVID-19 two, three, or even four times. Omicron and its subvariants, which are highly contagious and contain mutations that may allow them to evade the body’s vaccine- and infection-acquired immune defenses, have made reinfections an unfortunate but common part of life. Experts warn that BA.5, which currently accounts for the majority of cases in the U.S., may be particularly likely to cause reinfections, even among people who have had the virus relatively recently. Scientists have similar concerns about BA.2.75, another transmissible Omicron subvariant that is spreading quickly in some parts of the world, including India, but does not yet make up a significant percentage of new cases in the U.S. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] How much should reinfections worry you? Here’s what we know so far. You may not get as sick as you did the first time If your body has had practice dealing with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, it should perform better the next time around, ideally keeping your second illness milder. The body mounts an immune response after either having COVID-19 or getting vaccinated against it. These defenses significantly reduce your chances of experiencing severe disease or dying if you get infected again, says Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, chief of the laboratory of infectious diseases at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (People who are immunocompromised may not mount a robust...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 healthscienceclimate Source Type: news