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Study: COVID-19 Reinfections Are Rare

If you’ve had a COVID-19 infection, you are 94% less likely to get reinfected than others who have never had COVID-19, according to a recent research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine. Researchers define reinfection as a second positive RT-PCR test at least 90 days from the first positive diagnosis and with at least two consecutive negative diagnoses in between.

More than 150 million people around the world have been infected with COVID-19, and the study concluded that reinfection is rare. Natural immunity to SARS-CoV-2 appears to protect against COVID-19 infections for at least a year, which is similar to the protection reported in recent vaccine studies, according to researchers. The study did not include the testing of COVID-19 variants because research concluded before the variants became dominant.

Scientists noted that studying the risk of a second infection among people who have recovered from COVID-19 is crucial to improve quarantine management and optimize the ongoing vaccination campaign.

 

SOURCES:

Center for Infectious Disease and Research and Policy June 1,2021

JAMA Internal Medicine May 28, 2021