Coronavirus: Do you keep getting reinfected? Each time can raise complications risk, warns study

Over half a billion people worldwide have been infected with coronavirus at least one time. Further, people who have recovered from a coronavirus infection once can develop a reinfection again, and globally, people are acquiring repeat SARS-CoV-2 infections or reinfections. With COVID-19 infection remaining active for two years on, many people have had coronavirus if not just once, then twice or even thrice in some cases. A new study suggests that multiple bouts of Coronavirus could have a significant long term impact on your health.

Conducted by the University School of Medicine and VA in Saint Louis, the study investigated the impact that multiple COVID infections can have on the immune system. The study population had 257,427 participants who contracted COVID-19 only once and 38,926 participants who had experienced two or more SARS-CoV-2 reinfections.

In the test group with reinfection cases, 12.29% had two infections, 0.76% of them had been infected thrice, and 0.08% of those people had four or more infections. The median time distribution between the first-second infection was 79 days. Whereas, the median time distribution between the second-third infection was 65 days. The findings were startling.

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The researchers have found that there was a higher risk of hospitalisation, lasting health complications after every reinfection by the virus, regardless of the person's vaccination status. In a statement the authors said, “Risks were lowest in people with one infection, increased in people with two infections, and highest in people with three or more infections.”

The study findings have highlighted that continued vigilance is necessary for people infected with COVID-19 to reduce the overall health risk. Additionally, studies have gathered data which confirms that the risk of reinfection is higher with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.

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Data from the research has suggested that those reinfected with Coronavirus more than once had an increased risk of several health complications such as cardiovascular complications and blood clotting. COVID-19 reinfection can have severe consequences for the lungs. It can also lead to kidney problems, neurological problems and musculoskeletal problems. People can also develop diabetes or mental health disorders.

A study published earlier this year found that coronavirus increases the risk of heart failure, heart attack, and stroke by over 50 percent, regardless of factors such as race, gender, or ethnicity.

Apart from this, the impact of complications due to coronavirus is already being felt by patients around the world in a more permanent sense due to long COVID or post-COVID symptoms. What’s worse is that although several people have been suffering from long-COVID symptoms for close to two years, there are concerns they have not been taken seriously. It is important to consult your doctor and seek necessary treatment if you experience any such symptoms such as fatigue, fever, post-exertional malaise, shortness of breath, pounding heart and brain fog.