Covid reinfections are here to stay as BA.5 cases rise

Covid reinfections are here to stay as BA.5 cases rise How many times can I get Covid? Are Covid reinfections worse? What is the reinfection rate for the new Covid variant? YahooNews

In 2020, Covid reinfections were considered rare.

In 2021, breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals could occur, but again, the risk was low.

In 2022, that's no longer the case for either. As more immune-dodging coronavirus variants emerge, reinfections and breakthrough infections appear increasingly normal.

The United States isn't currently tracking Covid reinfections. However, U.K. researchers have found that the risk of reinfection was eight times higher during the omicron wave than it was in last year's delta wave.

“I would not be surprised if we see people get infected more than once per year,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, said in an interview with NBC News in June, though he added that he feels optimistic that it will eventually settle into becoming just a seasonal occurrence, like the flu. (Fauci, who has received two vaccine boosters, himself tested positive for Covid the week following the interview, saying he has mild symptoms.)

The risk for reinfection appears even higher now, thanks to two immune-dodging omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5. Together, the two variants are driving the majority of new cases in the U.S.

Both subvariants are “more transmissible and more immune evading” than previous versions of omicron, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a White House briefing on Tuesday. “People with prior infection, even with BA.1 or BA.2 are likely still at risk for BA.4 or BA.5.”

Of course, just because reinfections are possible, doesn’t mean people should give up on all efforts to prevent them; staying up-to-date on vaccinations and wearing masks indoors in places with high transmission still work to lower risk.

Here’s what we know so far about reinfections.  :

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