How common are Covid re-infections?
Although rare at the beginning of the pandemic, re-infections are becoming more frequent as the months and years go by – especially since the arrival of Omicron, which caused a 15-fold increase in the rate of re-infections, according to the National Statistics Office. . This is partly due to the reduction in protective antibodies caused by infection and / or vaccination over time, but the virus has also evolved to avoid some of these immune defenses, making re-infection more likely. “The original Omicron BA.1 variant was in itself a highly immunological avoidance, causing a huge incidence of cases, even in vaccinated people,” said Danny Altmann, a professor of immunology at Imperial College London. “It’s also slightly immunogenic, which means that catching it offers a little extra protection from getting caught again. In addition, there is now further evidence that the previous Omicron’s very limited ability to generate any immune memory for BA.4 or 5, the variants that appear to lead to the latest wave of infections. The virus has also evolved to become more contagious, which means that even fleeting exposure to an infected person means that you can inhale enough viral particles to infect yourself.
If I had the Omicron at Christmas or early 2022, is it possible to get it again?
“There are definitely a lot of people who were infected with Covid earlier this year and get it again, including some with BA.4 / 5 who had BA.1 / 2 just four months ago, who thought they would be protected,” he said. Tim Spector, who leads the Zoe Health Study (formerly known as the Zoe Covid Study). “We still do not have enough data to determine exactly when the sensitive periods will be [for reinfection] is, and that is one reason why we need people to keep track of their symptoms. “We know it’s still quite rare in three months, and it was also rare in six months, but that’s no longer the case.”
Are some people more prone to re-infection than others?
According to unpublished data from Denmark, which tested for BA.2 Omicron subtype re-infections within 60 days of BA.1 conception, such re-infections were more common in young, unvaccinated individuals with mild disease. Other studies have similarly suggested that the Covid-19 vaccine provides a significant additional layer of protection against re-infection by enhancing human immune responses. However, Omicron infection alone seems to be a bad booster of immunity, which means that if you became infected during the previous pandemic waves, your immune response is unlikely to be boosted if you catch it again earlier this year.
Will my symptoms be milder the second time?
In general, infections should be less severe the second, third, or fourth time, because people should have some residual immunity – especially if they have also been vaccinated, which would further raise their levels of immune protection. However, there are always exceptions to this. “Jokes, some people take it for longer this time than last,” Spector said. It is also too early to know the long-term Covid risk associated with BA.4 / 5, he added.
Should we wear masks again?
As the UK enters a period dominated by BA.4 and 5, the chance of re-infection seems high. “We are in a very serious situation due to convergence of factors: a country where a moderately successful third aid campaign is long gone, with immunity having weakened and the successive big waves of Omicron ending in the emerging dominance of BA.4 / 5 “, Said Altman. “The bottom line is that we all need to consider ourselves virtually vulnerable, except perhaps in intensive care and death, and then, as before, with the risks increasing with age.” Face masks and ventilation continue to provide significant additional levels of protection – especially in busy areas. “I still wear a mask, but not a cheap mask – I wear a proper FFP2 or 3 mask,” said Spector. “These new variants are still very airborne and you need an even smaller amount to get infected, so I think a mask is definitely a good idea when one in 30 people have it again.”
