JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) – We’re hearing more and more about people becoming re-infected with COVID-19—some multiple times.
Many of us are wondering what’s behind the reinfections, and could it lead to more complications?
The CDC said the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron is responsible for about 80% of new COVID-19 infections in the U.S. and the number of reinfections has doubled compared to previous waves.
Jefferson County Department of Health said each time a variant mutates it becomes a little easier to sneak past your body’s defenses, and waning immunity may be what’s causing more people to get COVID again and again.
Dr. Wesley Willeford said it’s unclear if multiple re-infections lead to long COVID, but he says our current vaccines and treatments are helping to prevent more serious outcomes like hospitalizations and death.
“I think the chances are that at some point a person is going to encounter COVID-19 and may become ill with it, so that’s why we always talk about bolstering up your defenses as much as possible. Making sure that you’re up to date on your vaccinations. Making sure that if you do get COVID-19 you talk to your medical provider about medications that can help lessen the impact of and really just doing everything you can to protect yourself especially if you’re in a vulnerable population,” Dr. Willeford said.
New research shows most re-infections happening in July are happening in patients who had COVID late last year, so about nine months between infections.
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