Coronavirus: Very rare serious illness after re-infection – New study

Covid-19 re-infections in the same person are 90% less likely to lead to serious illness, hospitalization or death than the original infection, according to a new scientific study from Qatar.

The study shows that when someone becomes infected with the coronavirus again, in a relatively short period of time (after a few months), the second time the disease is generally -although not always- mild and rarely carries serious risks. This, according to scientists, supports the view that, as more and more people become vaccinated or get sick and recover, Covid-19 will eventually become as endemic as the common cold.

Researchers at the Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar School of Medicine, who published in the New England Journal of Medicine, according to the British Independent and CNN, analyzed data on 353,326 people infected with the disease. coronavirus between February 2020-April 2021 and of which 1,304 were later found to be re-infected with the virus.

Only four re-infections were severe enough to require hospitalization, none resulted in an ICU, nor was there any death. In contrast, among the initial infections, 28 patients had needed ICU admission, while seven had died.

Re-infection was defined as having a positive diagnostic test at least three months after the initial infection. The average time between the first and second infection was about nine months. The vast majority of re-infections were caused by the Beta variant of the coronavirus.

It is not, however, absolutely certain, according to other scientists, that coronavirus re-infections in all countries follow the pattern we see in Qatar, given that the predominant variant elsewhere – and in Greece – is Delta and not Beta. They also stressed that people should never give the impression that they do not need to be vaccinated because they have had coronavirus in the past, much less the risk of “long Covid-19” with persistent symptoms for months. In addition to the fact that vaccination not only protects oneself but also the whole community around him, therefore there is a question of social responsibility.