Covid cases are rising in the UK. An estimated 1.3 million people are now suffering from symptomatic Covid-19 – almost double the number at the start of July.
While everyone is potentially vulnerable to contracting the virus more than once, experts are divided on the risks of contracting Covid again. Now that there are no restrictions or social distancing, people are twice as likely or more likely to contract the virus.
Here’s everything you need to know about getting infected with Covid multiple times and the possible effects on your body.
What are the symptoms and risks?
Research published in Naturopathy The Journal, examining the US Department of Veterans Affairs health database, found that a second or more Covid infection increases a person’s risk of death, hospitalization and a variety of negative health outcomes, including diabetes and neurological disorders.
However, other scientists argue that immunity to the initial infection means that subsequent infections pose less of a risk of such outcomes.
Notable symptoms of a first Covid infection include cough, fever and headache, with milder symptoms often described as “cold-like” in later infections.
Vaccinations and previous infections
Anyone who has been fully vaccinated or has already been infected with other strains of the coronavirus is best prepared to prevent infection.
People who have been vaccinated or already infected are likely to have good levels of antibodies. This does not guarantee immunity against infection; the risk of serious illness is reduced – but not eliminated.
Data last year showed that infection with previous variants of the Covid-19 virus provided about 60 percent protection against reinfection with the Omicron variant.
The combination of waning immunity following vaccination and Omicron’s ability to partially evade vaccine-induced immunity means two doses of the Covid vaccine provide up to 10 per cent protection against symptomatic infection five to six months after the second vaccination.
A third booster vaccination was found to increase protection against symptomatic Omicron infection to 60-75 percent two to four weeks after vaccination, but decreased to 30-40 percent after 15 weeks.
Protection against hospitalization remains high after booster vaccination, with scientists agreeing that the combination of prior natural infection and full vaccination is likely to provide greater protection over a longer period of time.
Reinfections are usually mild, but serious illness can occur. If you become infected again, you may also pass the virus on to others. As the virus evolves, new variants may emerge that can bypass existing immunity. This may increase the risk of reinfection, which can occur again several weeks after the previous infection, although this is rare.
What do the experts say?
Experts studying Covid-19 agree that for most people, getting infected a second, third or fourth time is inevitable. The longer the virus is present, the more likely reinfections occur.
Data is still available on the impact of Covid, including the proportion of people with recurrent infections who develop long-term complications.
The evidence so far suggests that for many people who get Covid multiple times, subsequent infections are as mild or milder than their first infections, which is likely due to partial immunity from previous infections, vaccination and the fact that the latest circulating variants usually lead to infections that cause less severe symptoms.
There are some exceptions, especially in people who have weakened immune systems, are older, or have had particularly severe infections in the past. The chances of you getting Covid again are highly unpredictable. In general, the milder the symptoms, the less likely it is.
However, with any infection, no matter how severe, there is always the possibility of longer-term symptoms.
Clinically vulnerable
Meanwhile, new data from two major studies show that immunocompromised people continue to be significantly and disproportionately affected by Covid and are significantly more likely to suffer severe illness compared with the general population.
Despite making up up to 4 per cent of the population, immunocompromised patients account for around a quarter of all Covid hospitalizations (22 per cent), intensive care (28 per cent) and deaths (25 per cent) in England, the first country in which the study was conducted . Even after repeated doses of the Covid vaccine, intensive care patients were 14 times more likely to be hospitalized for Covid than the general population.
Data from the second study shows long hospital stays and high costs for intensive care patients, with the average total cost of hospitalizations associated with a first Covid diagnosis for intensive care patients estimated at almost $1 billion, with the average cost of hospitalizations being $64,029 US per patient. Hospital stay 15 days.
The AstraZeneca study was published in Lancet Regional Health Europe AND Current Medical Research and Opinions respectively.
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.