Here’s what scientists know so far, and how they’re attempting to solve this complex equation
But while this epidemiological data shows that COVID-19 reinfections are possible, do they pose any real risk to patients like those Al-Aly treats in his clinic?, which has not yet been peer reviewed, analyzing more than 5.6 million military veterans’ medical records that showed each new infection added to their risk of dying from just about any cause.
Then there are diseases where immunity wanes over time, leaving a person more susceptible to reinfections. The severity of that reinfection hinges on many factors, including underlying conditions, changes to the person’s health that might have strained their immune system, the timing of vaccination, and changes to the virus itself.
When Al-Aly’s report came out in June, there was a dust-up on social media about the study, which seemed to suggest that reinfections are more severe than a primary infection. But Al-Aly says that this was a misinterpretation of his findings. Even if most reinfections are milder, he says, they should still be taken seriously.
. Even though long COVID’s cause remains unknown, scientists hope to learn whether immunity confers some protection against it.found that people who had received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines were half as likely to develop long COVID symptoms as people who are unvaccinated—suggesting that the vaccines do protect against it somewhat. However, a May 2022 study, also authored by Al-Aly and, suggests that vaccination only lowers the risk of developing long COVID symptoms by about 15 percent.
Scientists need more data before they can draw any conclusions about the severity of COVID-19 reinfections. Al-Aly says his next step is to investigate whether the variants that are dominating now—BA.4 and BA.5—are more likely to cause severe COVID-19 reinfections than others.
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