Key TakeawaysReinfection is unlikely in the first few months after your first COVID-19 infection.While it’s possible to bereinfectedwith the same COVID variant, we don’t know how often it could occur.Experts say you should stay up-to-date with your vaccines and boosters to get at least some protection against reinfection.

Key Takeaways

Reinfection is unlikely in the first few months after your first COVID-19 infection.While it’s possible to bereinfectedwith the same COVID variant, we don’t know how often it could occur.Experts say you should stay up-to-date with your vaccines and boosters to get at least some protection against reinfection.

As we enter year four of a world with COVID-19, contracting the disease more than once is no longer unheard of. A large part of that is due to variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which, like any virus, evolve to evade our immune systems and our vaccines. But is a new variant always to blame for a new infection? Can you become infected with the same COVID variant more than once?

Amesh Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Verywell that reinfection with the same COVID variant is unlikely for at least several months after the initial infection because of the level and specificity of the antibodies generated.

There’s no telling how many times it can occur because the number of reinfections is not really quantifiable, he added.

“For most of the population, a variant infection tends to move in waves, with one dominant variant infecting a population and then a different variant spreading at a later time,”Irfan Hafiz, MD, infectious diseases expert and chief medical officer at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital, told Verywell.

Those who do not mount an adequate antibody response after the initial infection—for instance, immunocompromised individuals—may be re-infected with the same variant, Hafiz said.

Therefore, reinfection with the same variant is unlikely, but possible.

Can Rapid COVID Tests Pick Up Omicron?

How Soon After I’ve Had COVID Could I Get Reinfected?

It’s unlikely for someone who is not immunocompromised to be reinfected in the first couple of months—and possibly even longer—after their initial COVID infection, Adalja said. They probably won’t become reinfected with the same variant—another variant or subvariant (e.g., B.Q.1.1 is a subvariant of Omicron) may have emerged over the course of those months.

According to Adalja, several factors play a role in a person’sCOVID reinfection risk:

Data shows that prior infection is about 92% effective in preventing symptomatic reinfection against the Delta variant, but only 56% effective against Omicron.

Thesereinfectioncases demonstrate the limits of infection-induced immunity against new variants.

Omicron Variants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 Are Now Dominant in U.S.

How Can I Lower My Risk of COVID Reinfection?

Hafiz said areinfectioncouldbe less severe due to antibodies from the previous infection—especially if it’s with the same variant. However, getting infected again still increases the risk of all-cause mortality and adverse health outcomes both in the acute and post-acute phases of reinfection.

The tips experts offer for lowering your chances of becoming reinfected with COVID—whether with the same variant or a new one—are the practices people have gotten used to at this point in the pandemic:

While vaccination may provide a lower degree of protection against reinfection with the Omicron variant compared to the Alpha and Delta variants, there is still a clear benefit to staying up to date with your COVID shots and boosters.

“Vaccination for yourself and the others around you is a key step in increasing herd immunity,” Hafiz said. “This will reduce the prevalence of the disease.”

What This Means For YouWe don’t know how many times it’s possible to get reinfected with the same COVID variant, but we do know that reinfection carries risks. Getting vaccinated and boosted, as well as taking other precautions is still the best way to protect yourself from getting COVID—be it for the first time or the second.

What This Means For You

We don’t know how many times it’s possible to get reinfected with the same COVID variant, but we do know that reinfection carries risks. Getting vaccinated and boosted, as well as taking other precautions is still the best way to protect yourself from getting COVID—be it for the first time or the second.

New Study Explains Why Repeat COVID Infections Are Dangerous

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Altarawneh HN, Chemaitelly H, Hasan MR, et al.Protection against the Omicron variant from previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.N Engl J Med. 2022;386(13):1288-1290. doi:10.1056/NEJMc2200133Roskosky M, Borah BF, DeJonge PM, et al.Notes from the field: SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection in 10 persons within 90 days of previous SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infection - four states, October 2021-January 2022.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71(14):524-526. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7114a2Bowe B, Xie Y, Al-Aly Z.Acute and postacute sequelae associated with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection.Nat Med. 2022;28(11):2398-2405. doi:10.1038/s41591-022-02051-3Nielsen KF, Moustsen-Helms IR, Schelde AB, et al.Vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 reinfection during periods of Alpha, Delta, or Omicron dominance: a Danish nationwide study.PLoS Med. 2022;19(11):e1004037. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1004037

4 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Altarawneh HN, Chemaitelly H, Hasan MR, et al.Protection against the Omicron variant from previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.N Engl J Med. 2022;386(13):1288-1290. doi:10.1056/NEJMc2200133Roskosky M, Borah BF, DeJonge PM, et al.Notes from the field: SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection in 10 persons within 90 days of previous SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infection - four states, October 2021-January 2022.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71(14):524-526. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7114a2Bowe B, Xie Y, Al-Aly Z.Acute and postacute sequelae associated with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection.Nat Med. 2022;28(11):2398-2405. doi:10.1038/s41591-022-02051-3Nielsen KF, Moustsen-Helms IR, Schelde AB, et al.Vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 reinfection during periods of Alpha, Delta, or Omicron dominance: a Danish nationwide study.PLoS Med. 2022;19(11):e1004037. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1004037

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Altarawneh HN, Chemaitelly H, Hasan MR, et al.Protection against the Omicron variant from previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.N Engl J Med. 2022;386(13):1288-1290. doi:10.1056/NEJMc2200133Roskosky M, Borah BF, DeJonge PM, et al.Notes from the field: SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection in 10 persons within 90 days of previous SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infection - four states, October 2021-January 2022.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71(14):524-526. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7114a2Bowe B, Xie Y, Al-Aly Z.Acute and postacute sequelae associated with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection.Nat Med. 2022;28(11):2398-2405. doi:10.1038/s41591-022-02051-3Nielsen KF, Moustsen-Helms IR, Schelde AB, et al.Vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 reinfection during periods of Alpha, Delta, or Omicron dominance: a Danish nationwide study.PLoS Med. 2022;19(11):e1004037. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1004037

Altarawneh HN, Chemaitelly H, Hasan MR, et al.Protection against the Omicron variant from previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.N Engl J Med. 2022;386(13):1288-1290. doi:10.1056/NEJMc2200133

Roskosky M, Borah BF, DeJonge PM, et al.Notes from the field: SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection in 10 persons within 90 days of previous SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infection - four states, October 2021-January 2022.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022;71(14):524-526. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7114a2

Bowe B, Xie Y, Al-Aly Z.Acute and postacute sequelae associated with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection.Nat Med. 2022;28(11):2398-2405. doi:10.1038/s41591-022-02051-3

Nielsen KF, Moustsen-Helms IR, Schelde AB, et al.Vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 reinfection during periods of Alpha, Delta, or Omicron dominance: a Danish nationwide study.PLoS Med. 2022;19(11):e1004037. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1004037

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