Re-infection from coronavirus is possible
With COVID-19 infection and coronavirus having already become a part of planet earth, many plausible questions arise. One such question is how soon can I get re-infected?
COVID-19 infection is caused by the SARS-CoV2 which is considered to be a highly transmissible virus. While the virus has already attacked us in different mutated forms, emergence of new mutations in the future can not be ruled out.
Re-infection from this virus is possible if COVID-19 prevention-appropriate behaviour is not followed properly. Of the many prevention measures that can actually cut the chain of COVID-19 transmission , the effective ones are wearing masks, keeping hands sanitized.
What is COVID-19 reinfection?
When an individual gets infected more than once, he or she is said to be reinfected.
"Reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 means a person was infected, recovered, and then later became infected again. After recovering from COVID-19, most individuals will have some protection from repeat infections. However, reinfections do occur after COVID-19," says the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
How soon can one be reinfected with COVID-19?
Many experts have linked immunity with reinfection.
Though there is no definite answer to how soon one can re-contract the disease, as per data from CDC, “the latest data suggests that retesting someone in the 3 months following initial infection is not necessary unless that person is exhibiting the symptoms of COVID-19 and the symptoms cannot be associated with another illness.”
Another report from Medanta says, “Most people who are infected with the COVID-19 virus, whether or not they have symptoms, produce antibodies (proteins that fight infections) and fighter cells. For those recovered, the chances of reinfection appear to be very low in the first three months after the initial infection.”
"If you had a mild infection, didn’t get a very good immune response, and you get exposed again with a big dose of the virus, it’s definitely possible," Dr Thomas Russo, professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York, told the media on COVID-19 refinfection.
How does an individual contract COVID-19 infection?
COVID-19 infection happens when an individual is exposed to the coronavirus. Usually coronavirus are spread through droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks. Hence, covering nose and mouth and sanitising hands is essential.
"The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales. These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. People can also catch COVID-19 if they breathe in droplets from a person
with COVID-19 who coughs out or exhales droplets. This is why it is important to stay more than 1 meter (3 feet) away from a person who is sick," the Union Health Ministry says.
See more: Coronavirus Vaccine: The complete list of COVID vaccines currently in use in India
Why is COVID-19 reinfection a possibility?
With more and more people getting infected, the virus has already made its presence within the human population.
Behavioral practices are being neglected these days, thus giving scope to the spread of the virus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been leading in creating awareness about COVID-19 infection along with the governments of all the countries.
A major risk of reinfection can be through exposure to asymptomatic individuals. These are those individuals who carry the virus but do not show the symptoms. During the third wave of COVID-19, for which Omicron was mostly responsible, the majority of the infection was spread by asymptomatic carriers.