The three groups most at risk of COVID-19 reinfection. Experts warn

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, new virus sub-variants are emerging worldwide. Currently, the number of people infected with BA.5 is increasing. Experts warn that recent disease and vaccination do not protect us from reinfection. This may even happen after several weeks. Three groups are particularly vulnerable to reinfection.

1. We have entered a new phase of the pandemic, when we become infected faster with COVID-19, and the disease may attack us again even after a month
2. Researchers from Great Britain indicate that the risk of reinfection with the Omikron BA.5 version, which is already dominant in the world, is many times higher
3. The risk of reinfection with the coronavirus occurs in three groups
4. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

Recent storage does not protect

Probably few of us remember that the pandemic officially accompanies us from March 11, 2020. It was then that the World Health Organization announced it. Since then, the virus has been mutating. Sometimes it gets stronger, sometimes it gets weaker.

We have now entered a new phase. Doctors are alarming that reinfection, i.e. reinfection, is becoming more and more frequent. Scientists also confirm this. For example, researchers in the UK have found that the risk of reinfection is up to eight times higher with the Omicron wave than last year when the Delta variant dominated the world.

It turns out, therefore, that the Omikron BA.5 and BA.4 sub-variants can bypass immunity acquired by the recent COVID-19 infection, as well as vaccination. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief COVID-19 expert in the US, explained this at a recent press conference in the White House.

It is obvious that our immunity is weakening, whether it was obtained by vaccination or infection. We have the latest data showing that if someone has been infected with BA.1 there is no good protection against BA.4 and BA.5, he said.

Andrew Robertson, chief health specialist at the Department of Health of Western Australia, made a similar statement.

– We are seeing an increase in the number of people who were infected with BA.2 and then re-infected. This means that six to eight weeks later you may develop another infection. BA.4 or BA.5 are almost certainly behind this, said the Australian expert in an interview with news.au.com.

Re-infection even after a month

Doctors indicate that re-infection with the disease can occur even after a few weeks, and the easier we go, the theoretically more exposed to this risk. It is also difficult to determine how many times we can go through it.

In general, infections should be less severe the second, third, or fourth time around as people acquire some residual immunity, especially when they have been vaccinated, as this will increase the immune defense. However, there are always exceptions to this.

In Poland, since the beginning of the epidemic, i.e. from March 4, 2020, slightly more than 6 million COVID-19 infections have been confirmed, including nearly 91,3 thousand recurrences.

Who is more prone to reinfection?

According to unpublished data from Denmark on reinfection with Omikron BA.2 sub-variant (within 60 days of catching BA.1), such reinfections were most common among young, unvaccinated people with mild disease. Other studies have suggested that COVID-19 vaccination offers significant protection against reinfection by enhancing the immune response.

There are three groups that are at greater risk of being re-infected with the coronavirus:

1. unvaccinated
2. people who have had asymptomatic or mild infection
3. young people with a mild course of the disease, leading an active lifestyle and therefore exposed to higher viral loads.

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