Reinfection is when a person develops the same illness they recovered from previously. It is the recurrence of an infection by the same causative agent.
In terms of COVID-19, reinfection has become a common phenomenon. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 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,” the health agency explains.
Early on in the pandemic, a COVID-recovered individual was said to have at least 6-9 months immunity against the virus. But with the Omicron variant of coronavirus, the duration was reduced to 12 weeks (3 months).
Now, new reports suggest COVID-19 reinfection can occur even sooner!
