But in the midst of a sixth wave of infections, even those who have already contracted the virus and recovered wonder when the re-infection could strike. “It is possible for COVID to develop again after it has recovered from it quite recently,” said Dr. Brian Conway, President and Medical Director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Center, at Global over Zoom. A Queen’s University professor defines it as “recent” as three months after infection – although there seems to be an insidious variant to try during this time. “Before Omicron appeared, we did not see people getting any kind of re-infection for only 90 days. “With Omicron, this period seems to be a bit shorter – it’s about 60 days,” said Dr. Gerald Evans, president of the Infectious Diseases Department. The story goes on under the ad It is still very unusual for people to come out positive within this time frame, Evans said.
Read more: Sixth Wave COVID-19 – 5 Ways Canadians Reduce and Assess Health Risks
In fact, York University immunologist Ali Abdul-Sater told Global that most healthy, vaccinated people see their antibody levels begin to fall after four to six months. However, data from recent increases in the UK and Denmark show that infection within a 60-day window is still possible. Overall, all three health professionals say it is very difficult to determine how long an individual’s immunity is after an infection. Factors such as age, immune status and severity of a person’s immune response after conception of COVID-19 may dictate the risk of re-infection, Abul-Sater said. “People who are either immunosuppressed or people over the age of 65 have a less strong immune response,” he said. If you really got sick after being infected with COVID-19, Abdul-Sater said you can develop stronger immunity than someone who got mildly sick after being infected. Did you do double vaxx and then get infected? You can develop a “hybrid immunity,” Evans said, which could last longer than immunity from a single vaccine or an infection alone. And if you get vaccinated, get infected and then get a booster vaccine, that can extend immunity even further, according to Abdul-Sater. Trending Stories
Will Smith was eliminated from the Oscars for 10 years after being slapped by Chris Rock Siblings in custody after mother, sister found buried in backyard Illinois
The story goes on under the ad
Read more: Positive test weeks after diagnosis of COVID-19 – What it means to travel
Even more interesting? Evans and Abdul-Sater say that the type of variant you catch can also affect your chances of getting re-infected. Those who catch Delta seem to develop periodic immunity to another Delta infection and to all the variants that have appeared before. But because Omicron has a different make-up than its predecessors, Evans said that the variant infection can only protect you briefly from another Omicron infection, but may leave you vulnerable to all other variants, including the BA subtype. .2. All the experts emphasize that this is not something that individuals should try. If you think you are invincible after the capture of COVID-19, Abdul-Sater says the sixth wave is proof that the public should not feel too comfortable right now, especially with the emergence of new variants. “If you have recovered, do not consider yourself immune yet. Follow the rules. Wash your hands. “Watch out for dangerous situations with large numbers of people,” Conway said.
Read more: 6 cases of COVID-19 XE have been reported in Canada
Another reason to be careful? Children are also at risk of re-infection, says Dr. Bruce Mazer of McGill University – as pediatric cases and hospitalizations increase in Quebec and Ontario. The story goes on under the ad “Children’s immune systems are usually very similar to those of adults, especially those over the age of five,” said the pediatric professor and deputy science director of the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force. “In the United States and other countries, children are given the third dose six months after their second dose.”
Read more: Quebec sees huge increase in COVID-19 pediatric hospitalizations during the Omicron wave
Mazer points out that regardless of your perceived immune time frame, protection against a vaccine is much stronger than protection produced by an infection. When vaccines were first introduced, “there was hope that natural immunity would equate to immunity to vaccines,” Conway said, but that did not prove to be the case at all. Although vaccines have never been an infallible shield against COVID-19, according to Evans and Mazer, they protect you from getting seriously ill – something that immunity does not say after infection. This is why health professionals are urging the public to get involved with their vaccines and supplements. The National Immunization Advisory Committee (NACI) recommends that non-immunocompromised individuals be vaccinated eight weeks after COVID-19 infection. 2: 014th COVID-19 vaccine doses in high demand now that fitness has expanded 4th COVID-19 vaccine doses in high demand now that fitness has expanded © 2022 Global News, part of Corus Entertainment Inc.
