Posted on Jun 8, 2022
Coronavirus FAQ: I got COVID. Then I got it again. What's the deal with reinfection?
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https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/06/06/ [login to see] /coronavirus-faq-i-got-covid-then-i-got-it-again-whats-the-deal-with-reinfection
You got sick with COVID back in January, so you figured you were done with the virus for a while. But then you began feeling a scratchy throat and a runny nose, took a home test just in case — and that second line blazed red once again.
You might well be wondering: How this can happen? Is it possible to get COVID again just a few months or even weeks after recovering from a case?
We asked four specialists to answer frequently asked questions about reinfection.
You got sick with COVID back in January, so you figured you were done with the virus for a while. But then you began feeling a scratchy throat and a runny nose, took a home test just in case — and that second line blazed red once again.
You might well be wondering: How this can happen? Is it possible to get COVID again just a few months or even weeks after recovering from a case?
We asked four specialists to answer frequently asked questions about reinfection.
Coronavirus FAQ: I got COVID. Then I got it again. What's the deal with reinfection?
Posted from npr.org
Medical
Health
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 3
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
"How am I supposed to cope with the emerging – and changing – information about reinfection risks?
"It's a really frustrating situation, because I think everyone wants to be done with this virus, but we're just not. And we live in an era where we just want complete information at our fingertips, but we don't have it," Lemieux says.
That means we need to stay alert to the ways each new variant is changing, and how we respond to it – especially in the age of reinfection.
The same precautions used to prevent infection – masks, distancing, vaccinations, and more – work just as well for avoiding reinfection.
Another other point to keep in mind is that reinfections aren't that unusual for coronaviruses. "I don't think it's surprising the reinfection happens, because that's a feature of coronavirus biology," says Lemieux. "It's actually surprising, if anything, that it didn't happen more often with the initial variants."
"How am I supposed to cope with the emerging – and changing – information about reinfection risks?
"It's a really frustrating situation, because I think everyone wants to be done with this virus, but we're just not. And we live in an era where we just want complete information at our fingertips, but we don't have it," Lemieux says.
That means we need to stay alert to the ways each new variant is changing, and how we respond to it – especially in the age of reinfection.
The same precautions used to prevent infection – masks, distancing, vaccinations, and more – work just as well for avoiding reinfection.
Another other point to keep in mind is that reinfections aren't that unusual for coronaviruses. "I don't think it's surprising the reinfection happens, because that's a feature of coronavirus biology," says Lemieux. "It's actually surprising, if anything, that it didn't happen more often with the initial variants."
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