With the advent of autumn and the first drop in temperatures, covid cases are starting to increase. In Italy in recent days the percentage of new positives it exceeded 20% and both hospitalizations in ordinary wards and those in intensive care are increasing.
Nothing worrying at the moment, it must be said. The numbers are still low and manageable without problems also because thanks to the omicron variantnow the dominant and less aggressive strain, healthy and vaccinated subjects recover from the disease within a few days and without serious consequences.
It can happen in this second phase, however, that several people contract the covid for the second or third time, also given the temporal distance from the last dose and the consequent drop in immunity. What is there to expect for someone who has already contracted covid and will reinfect again? The answer is complicated and almost all experts agree with the saying: “depends“. Let’s see what it is from what risks those who take the covid several times.
What happens if I resume the covid: expert opinion
Those who have been positive for covid in the past are not free from being reinfected again, especially if they had to deal with the first strain of the virus. To date, the dominant variant worldwide is the omicronvery contagious but less severe from a symptom point of view.
A slightly different variant from the original one that can also affect those who have already been positive or who have been vaccinated. Experts agree that both natural immunity and that triggered by vaccines do not guarantee 100% freedom from infection.
But both of these factors can help avoid severe onset of symptoms. This is because the body has antibodies necessary to deal with the development of the disease without problems. If you test positive for covid in the next few days, it will almost certainly be because of the omicron variantnow dominant.
And this variant along with its sub-variants appear to cause less severe symptoms than the original strains. Mild infection that in some cases, however, can always lead to sore throat, fever, cold, headache and feeling of general malaise even if vaccinated.
But what if I have already contracted covid in the past and get reinfected? A research conducted last year in the United States made it possible to ascertain that subjects who had already tested positive for covid in the past, showed fewer symptoms if they were positive again.
Much obviously depends on the state of health of the subject. In the case of elderly, frail or immunosuppressed patients, there is no certainty that the omicron variant will bring mild symptoms.
How to protect yourself from reinfection
Lowering the likelihood of reinfection is only possible by increasing immunity thanks to vaccines or by adopting anti-contagion behaviors. The new vaccines are now also programmed to defend against the omicron variant and that is why experts are pushing for the fourth dose with precedence for frail and elderly patients, and then for all over 12s.
Another suggestion is obviously to avoid crowded places and when it is not possible to wear the mask Ffp2.