Covid Twice Omicron Reinfection Symptoms Tough To Predict

“The symptoms we had in March were the same, just not so serious; it was definitely COVID,” he told CTVNews.ca by telephone on Tuesday.  “I started scratching my throat on Sunday.  “Next Friday, I felt much better.”
The similarities in symptoms that occurred in December and again in March led James, 40, to believe that he and his family had been re-infected with COVID-19, and positive results using a rapid antigen test confirmed that this was the case, he said. .  While James said he was unable to verify the COVID-19 strain that infected him and his family members, both infections occurred as the Omicron variant was in their home state of Ontario, as well as and in the rest of Canada.
The family experienced common symptoms of COVID-19, such as occasional cough, sinus pressure, stuffy nose, fatigue, and headaches.  The main difference, according to James, was that the symptoms that appeared in December were more intense compared to those in March.  In addition, James, who was vaccinated at the time of both infections, said the symptoms from the first infection lasted much longer, receding after about 11 days.
I kept trying to make a comeback, so I started to feel really good and think, ‘Great, I’ve gone to the races’ and then that night, all of a sudden, the pressure on my head would go back. [and] “The pressure on my sinuses will come back in a storm,” said James.
In December, he and his family were unable to have rapid antigen tests until about two weeks after the onset of symptoms, and by then, the results were negative, James said.  But contact with friends who were also positive at the time was enough confirmation for James that he and his family had been infected by COVID-19.
What is interesting to note, James said, is that with their initial infection, both of his 16-year-old twin daughters, who were unvaccinated at the time, had different experiences with the disease.  One daughter had similar symptoms to James, while the other managed with a headache, he said.  At the time of the re-infection, the daughters’ symptoms were also milder in comparison, James said.
Based on his experience, James said that if he became infected with COVID-19 for the third time, he expected the symptoms to continue to be milder than his previous infections.
“Now that we’ve had it twice, with the difference in the severity of the symptoms; my fear of catching it again is greatly reduced, I’m not worried at this point,” said James.
DO OMICRON APPLICATIONS PRODUCE MOLD DISEASE?
Experts, however, warn against this line of thinking.
Although there is little evidence that COVID-19 re-infections are either more severe or milder than the original infections of the disease, Dr.  variability in the types of symptoms experienced by his patients during both the first and second infection.  As a result, it is not always guaranteed that re-infections will show a milder course of the disease, he said.
“We do not have much data from what I have seen comparing primary infections with secondary infections beyond jokes,” he told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on Tuesday.  “Initially, it was hoped that humans would not be infected a second time, which we now know is not true.”
Recent public health data show that up to 10 percent of Canadians recently infected with the Omicron BA.2 subtype had previously been infected with COVID-19.  Although not all counties provide data on re-infection rates, Ontario health officials say 11,370 people have been infected with Omicron twice since November 1, 2020.
According to a report released by the Quebec National Institute of Public Health in January, the county saw about 32 re-infections for every 1,000 initial infections, and nearly 9,000 people are suspected of having been re-infected with COVID-19 since May 2020.
Evidence suggests that re-infection with the Omicron variant is likely to lead to a home-based course for those who have been vaccinated, said Dr. Lisa Barrett, an infection specialist and professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax.  However, it is still possible for these people to develop severe COVID-19 seizures during a subsequent infection, he said.
“The vast majority of information circulating right now does not prove that most people get a worse re-infection if it’s Omicron,” Barrett told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on Tuesday.  “But there is a range of diseases – I will not bet my re-infection will be milder.”
“Every person is more likely to respond to infection and re-infection differently because of genetics,” Barrett said.  It is also important to remember that vaccination and previous infection do not make someone immune to COVID-19 infection again, he said.
“Develop protective immunity, [but] “It does not sterilize immunity,” Barrett said.
Some diseases, such as malaria, will weaken in severity with each infection, while others, such as dengue fever, can become more severe depending on the strain, Kalina said.  None of these trends, however, have been reported in relation to COVID-19, he said.
“It would be difficult to predict how one would react with a second infection, just as it is quite difficult to predict what people will do with a first infection,” Kalina said.
It is also important to note that regardless of whether a person has been infected with COVID-19 once or twice, the factors that increase the risk for serious COVID-19 effects remain the same, Kalina said.  This includes aging and underlying conditions such as diabetes.
“These are the same risk factors that you bring to any subsequent infections, plus any damage that may have been caused by the first period of the disease that you may have had,” Kalina said.
Another factor to consider is whether a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19 and how long ago they had their last dose, Barrett said.  While experts said it was unlikely that people would become infected again with the same strain of COVID-19 within three to four months of being vaccinated, it is not impossible, Kalina said.
“In medicine, there are no positions and we do not talk in an absolute way, because things happen and everyone is different,” said Kalina.  “If you had developed a particularly strong immune response [after vaccination or previous infection] “then we can not say how quickly you could get infected again or what the severity of the disease would be, which is why of course we have focused so much on prevention.”
That’s why it’s important to manage any existing comorbidities, Kalina said, and get vaccinated based on current guidelines and eligibility.  It also advises people to avoid high-risk activities such as gathering in large groups indoors and encourages Canadians to continue wearing face masks.
“Prevention is the key… because you can not necessarily predict how serious the disease will be,” said Kalina.
INFECTIONS WITH RESULT “COMPLETELY DIFFERENT COURSE”
In the case of Joan McKenzie, the woman from Toronto described her re-infection with COVID-19 as much more severe than the symptoms she experienced during her initial infection months ago.  When she first became infected in December 2021, McKenzie said her symptoms included a sore throat, runny nose, lower back pain, body aches and eye irritation, but “it was not terrible.”  He also had no fever or loss of taste or smell.  He was isolated for 10 days starting on Christmas Day, he said.
But when McKenzie became infected with Omicron again in late March 2022, she contracted a completely different disease, she said.
“It started with this really sore throat, which was more painful than the first time by far, but I did not have any of the other respiratory symptoms like a stuffy nose,” he said.  “It was just too much fatigue – I was basically in bed for five or six days.
“This time, it was a completely different course.”
Although she could not confirm the infection even once with a rapid antigen or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test due to lack of accessibility and eligibility, her doctor said she had probably been infected with COVID-19 both times.  McKenzie was isolated for about eight days after the onset of symptoms, she said.
Since then, McKenzie has said she sleeps more than before she was re-infected with COVID-19, but otherwise returns to normal activity, going to the gym several times a week.  Although it has fibromyalgia, a condition that causes extensive musculoskeletal pain, it is not reported as an underlying medical condition of concern for severe COVID-19 outcomes either by the Public Health Service of Canada or the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  McKenzie received the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in November 2021 and is scheduled to receive her fourth vaccine next week.
McKenzie said the COVID-19 infection a second time was more worrying and had worse symptoms.  That raises concerns about what a third infection might look like, he said.
“I think the second infection was worse in the sense that it seemed to hit me systematically.  “Instead of a respirator, it was more of a ‘damaged system,'” McKenzie said.  “It makes me a little worried about the next wave or the next infection; because the third may be this.
“If the next variant is worse …

title: “Covid Twice Omicron Reinfection Symptoms Tough To Predict " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-30” author: “Ty Armstrong”

“The symptoms we had in March were the same, just not so serious; it was definitely COVID,” he told CTVNews.ca by telephone on Tuesday.  “I started scratching my throat on Sunday.  “Next Friday, I felt much better.”
The similarities in symptoms that occurred in December and again in March led James, 40, to believe that he and his family had been re-infected with COVID-19, and positive results using a rapid antigen test confirmed that this had happened, he said. .  While James said he was unable to verify the COVID-19 strain that infected him and his family members, both infections occurred as the Omicron variant was in their home state of Ontario, as well as and in the rest of Canada.
The family experienced common symptoms of COVID-19, such as occasional cough, sinus pressure, stuffy nose, fatigue, and headaches.  The main difference, according to James, was that the symptoms that appeared in December were more intense compared to those in March.  In addition, James, who was vaccinated at the time of both infections, said the symptoms from the first infection lasted much longer, receding after about 11 days.
I kept trying to make a comeback, so I started to feel really good and think, ‘Great, I’ve gone to the races’ and then that night, all of a sudden, the pressure on my head would go back. [and] “The pressure on my sinuses will come back in a storm,” said James.
In December, he and his family were unable to have rapid antigen tests until about two weeks after the onset of symptoms, and by then, the results were negative, James said.  But contact with friends who were also positive at the time was enough confirmation for James that he and his family had been infected by COVID-19.
What is interesting to note, James said, is that with their initial infection, both of his 16-year-old twin daughters, who were unvaccinated at the time, had different experiences with the disease.  One daughter had similar symptoms to James, while the other managed with a headache, he said.  At the time of the re-infection, the daughters’ symptoms were also milder in comparison, James said.
Based on his experience, James said that if he became infected with COVID-19 for the third time, he expected the symptoms to continue to be milder than his previous infections.
“Now that we’ve had it twice, with the difference in the severity of the symptoms; my fear of catching it again is greatly reduced, I’m not worried at this point,” said James.
DO OMICRON APPLICATIONS PRODUCE MOLD DISEASE?
Experts, however, warn against this line of thinking.
Although there is little evidence that COVID-19 re-infections are either more severe or milder than the original infections of the disease, Dr.  variability in the types of symptoms experienced by his patients during both the first and second infection.  As a result, it is not always guaranteed that re-infections will show a milder course of the disease, he said.
“We do not have much data from what I have seen comparing primary infections with secondary infections beyond jokes,” he told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on Tuesday.  “Initially, it was hoped that humans would not be infected a second time, which we now know is not true.”
Recent public health data show that up to 10 percent of Canadians recently infected with the Omicron BA.2 subtype had previously been infected with COVID-19.  Although not all counties provide data on re-infection rates, Ontario health officials say 11,370 people have been infected with Omicron twice since November 1, 2020.
According to a report released by the Quebec National Institute of Public Health in January, the county saw about 32 re-infections for every 1,000 initial infections, and nearly 9,000 people are suspected of having been re-infected with COVID-19 since May 2020.
Evidence suggests that re-infection with the Omicron variant is likely to lead to a home-based course for those who have been vaccinated, said Dr. Lisa Barrett, an infection specialist and professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax.  However, it is still possible for these people to develop severe COVID-19 seizures during a subsequent infection, he said.
“The vast majority of information circulating right now does not prove that most people get a worse re-infection if it’s Omicron,” Barrett told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on Tuesday.  “But there is a range of diseases – I will not bet my re-infection will be milder.”
“Every person is more likely to respond to infection and re-infection differently because of genetics,” Barrett said.  It is also important to remember that vaccination and previous infection do not make someone immune to COVID-19 infection again, he said.
“Develop protective immunity, [but] “It does not sterilize immunity,” Barrett said.
Some diseases, such as malaria, will weaken in severity with each infection, while others, such as dengue fever, can become more severe depending on the strain, Kalina said.  None of these trends, however, have been reported in relation to COVID-19, he said.
“It would be difficult to predict how one would react with a second infection, just as it is quite difficult to predict what people will do with a first infection,” Kalina said.
It is also important to note that regardless of whether a person has been infected with COVID-19 once or twice, the factors that increase the risk for serious COVID-19 effects remain the same, Kalina said.  This includes aging and underlying conditions such as diabetes.
“These are the same risk factors that you bring to any subsequent infections, plus any damage that may have been caused by the first period of the disease that you may have had,” Kalina said.
Another factor to consider is whether a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19 and how long ago they had their last dose, Barrett said.  While experts said it was unlikely that people would become infected again with the same strain of COVID-19 within three to four months of being vaccinated, it is not impossible, Kalina said.
“In medicine, there are no positions and we do not talk in an absolute way, because things happen and everyone is different,” said Kalina.  “If you had developed a particularly strong immune response [after vaccination or previous infection] “then we can not say how quickly you could get infected again or what the severity of the disease would be, which is why of course we have focused so much on prevention.”
That’s why it’s important to manage any existing comorbidities, Kalina said, and get vaccinated based on current guidelines and eligibility.  It also advises people to avoid high-risk activities such as gathering in large groups indoors and encourages Canadians to continue wearing face masks.
“Prevention is the key… because you can not necessarily predict how serious the disease will be,” said Kalina.
INFECTIONS WITH THE RESULT OF “COMPLETELY DIFFERENT COURSE”
In the case of Joan McKenzie, the woman from Toronto described her re-infection with COVID-19 as much more severe than the symptoms she experienced during her initial infection months ago.  When she first became infected in December 2021, McKenzie said her symptoms included a sore throat, runny nose, lower back pain, body aches and eye irritation, but “it was not terrible.”  He also had no fever or lost his sense of taste or smell.  He was isolated for 10 days starting on Christmas day, he said.
But when McKenzie became infected with Omicron again in late March 2022, she contracted a completely different disease, she said.
“It started with this really sore throat, which was more painful than the first time by far, but I did not have any of the other respiratory symptoms like a stuffy nose,” he said.  “It was just too much fatigue – I was basically in bed for five or six days.
“This time, it was a completely different course.”
Although she could not confirm the infection even once with a rapid antigen or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test due to lack of accessibility and eligibility, her doctor said she had probably been infected with COVID-19 both times.  McKenzie was isolated for about eight days after the onset of symptoms, she said.
Since then, McKenzie has said she sleeps more than before she was re-infected with COVID-19, but otherwise returns to normal activity, going to the gym several times a week.  Although it has fibromyalgia, a condition that causes extensive musculoskeletal pain, it is not reported as an underlying medical condition that raises concerns about severe COVID-19 outcomes either by the Public Health Service of Canada or the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  McKenzie received the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in November 2021 and is scheduled to receive her fourth vaccine next week.
McKenzie said the COVID-19 infection a second time was more worrying and had worse symptoms.  That raises concerns about what a third infection might look like, he said.
“I think the second infection was worse in the sense that it seemed to hit me systematically.  “Instead of a respirator, it was more of a ‘damaged system,'” McKenzie said.  “It makes me a little worried about the next wave or the next infection; because the third may be this.
“If the next variant is worse …