Can I get infected with Corona again immediately after recovery?

Created: 04/06/2022, 04:50

By: Lukas Einkammerer

Anyone who has recovered from Corona is considered immune for a while.

But how soon after recovery can you become infected again?

Munich – The corona virus is still spreading rapidly.

At the start of the weekend, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 200,000 new infections.

Nevertheless, most of the Corona rules will fall in Bavaria on April 3rd.

While there are some ways you can still protect yourself from the virus, the post-Freedom Day period is likely to result in a number of infections.

Anyone who has already been infected is considered immune for some time after recovery and should no longer be able to get infected for the time being.

But is that really true?

And how long after recovery does the risk of infection actually increase again?

Corona reinfection: immunity only lasts a few months

Of course, individual cases may vary, but there are a few averages that a newly recovered person can use as a guide.

According to a US study, the risk of infection after the original infection is only around 5 percent, but is expected to increase to up to 50 percent within the following 17 months.

In addition, the protection after an infection with Covid-19 is said to be much weaker compared to other types of coronavirus such as 229E or OC43, which only cause mild cold symptoms.

Especially in people who have been vaccinated, it should be possible for the virus to fall ill again within a few months.

According to the researchers who contributed to the study, immunity usually doesn't last long.

In order to have optimal protection as a recovered person, the corona vaccination is urgently recommended, which should make reinfection only half as likely as in patients without vaccination protection.

Anyone who has just recovered is said to be immune to corona infection for a while.

But this protection should be over much faster than you think.

© dpa/Sebastian Gollnow

Corona reinfection: High risk of reinfection in unvaccinated recoveries

As the results of the American study confirm, there is a clear difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated people when it comes to possible reinfection.

As the Society for Virology reports, people who have been vaccinated after recovering from another corona variant should only have minimal antibodies to omicron.

If a person has both recovered and been vaccinated or boosted, one should be able to assume that there is a relatively high proportion of antibodies - and thus significantly better protection.

Corona reinfection: the number of antigen contacts is decisive

As the Society for Virology further informs, research with the virus is said to have shown that the number of antigen contacts, i.e. contacts with the virus through a vaccination or an illness, are decisive in protecting against reinfection.

If a person has had three antigen contacts several weeks apart, for example through a triple vaccination or a double vaccination and recovery, antibodies should form that can also be effective against the omicron variant.

Corona reinfection: Weak immunity with a weak course of the disease

In addition to the vaccination status, the course of the disease is also decisive for protection against reinfection.

As the virologist Yaneer Bar-Yam informed on Twitter, the often mild courses of the omicron variant are said to offer significantly poorer protection against renewed infection than the more dangerous delta variant.

Unless there is a severe course of the disease, which itself only brings security for a few months, patients should therefore not expect to be effectively protected against reinfection after recovery.

Unfortunately, the assumption that someone who has recently recovered has accurate protection against Corona seems to be wrong.

Without a definitive timeframe, it is probably safest to continue protecting yourself for a short time after infection.

Whether wearing a mask in crowded indoor spaces or keeping your distance, there are many ways you can protect yourself.

Getting healthy is the most important thing, and then one thing above all applies: staying healthy.

(le)