COVID is not a one-time infection
By this time, we all have a certain level of knowledge about COVID and how the coronavirus behaves. We all know that COVID is a communicable disease and to stop its spread we need to wear masks, keep our hands clean and get ourselves vaccinated. We also know that COVID reinfection is a big possibility; even if one is vaccinated one can get reinfected with COVID.
Why does COVID reinfection occur?
Immunity offers protection against reinfection. But when the immune power wanes, the body is unable to recognise the attackers and fails to protect us.
The B-cells and the T-cells play prominent roles in the immunity. The B-cells produce antibodies and the T cells destroy virus infected host cells.
The body's response towards reinfection depends on how the B-cells and T-cells function. There is some evidence that claims that the immune memory against COVID causing coronavirus stays for several months and can also last over a year. Beyond that the immune system’s memory needs to be boosted.
How long until your immune memory starts fading away?
COVID reinfection occurs a significant time after the first infection. As per a few government guidelines, you don't need to test yourself for COVID if you have cough, cold and fever, for 12 weeks from the infection. This means, you are a free case for the next 12 weeks from the COVID infection. Within this duration the probability of contracting COVID is low.
However, there are mixed responses around this time frame. While many government agencies are still working on the time frame of reinfection, higher number of reinfection cases hint that reinfections may be occuring sooner than this.
Emergence of new variants and claims that these are dodging the immunity do not explain why reinfection should or should not happen within a defined time frame.
Therefore, there is a need to know why COVID reinfections occur and how it can be managed.
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Coronavirus mutation vs. reinfection
It is because of the mutation of the coronavirus which gives rise to a new variant that is smart enough to dodge the immunity of our body.
For example, the Omicron variant is said to be causing reinfection more than the other variants. This is because of the fact that it has the highest number of mutations which helps it to escape from the immunity that has already been created by infections from Alpha, Beta and Delta.
There is evidence that infection from one strain will not provide immunity against infection from another strain.
Can COVID reinfection be mild?
It can be mild, as seen in most of the cases. But the possibility of a severe infection can not be ruled out.
Since the emergence of the Omicron variant, cases of COVID reinfection have sprung up. The main reason behind this surge in reinfection cases, experts say, is lack of immune power against the new variant.
Omicron is notorious for its super transmissibility and its immune evading power. Due to the several mutations this variant of coronavirus has, the immune system is unable to recognise it.
Hospitalization cases were less during the Omicron-led COVID wave. While many assume it to be the mild nature of the variant, health experts say it might be because of the vaccination. The body has partial memory of the attacker and hence could protect it from the severity of the viral attack.
This draws attention towards how severe the COVID reinfection can be. With an immune system that has lost its memory since the last infection or vaccination, the body is almost entirely susceptible to the viral attack as it was during the first time.
That's why booster shots are essential
Until now, we know that the immune system’s memory is the only form of protection against reinfections.
Vaccines provide protection from the virus by building a memory in the immune system, but the immune system gradually starts to forget the attackers after several months.
This is where booster shots come into play. Taking booster shots at regular intervals will keep your immune system active and fierce against the attacks of the variants of the coronavirus.
As per a new study, immunity from Omicron BA.1 variant drops around 7.5 fold with the new Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variant. This means, the antibodies that were generated from the Omicron BA.1 infection are less likely to spot and fight off the BA.4 and BA.5 variants. The study also found that vaccination and natural exposure to Omicron BA.1 gave five times more protection against BA.4 and BA.5 variants than only natural exposure to BA.1.
Several studies have linked higher immunity with triple vaccination and natural infection.
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