Covid reinfection significantly increases the risk of death, serious illness

November 10 (Reuters) The risk of death, hospitalization and serious health problems from COVID-19 increases significantly with reinfection compared to a first infection with the virus, regardless of vaccination status, a study published Thursday found.

“Reinfection with COVID-19 increases the risk of both acute and long-COVID, “said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly is there University of Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis. “This was evident in unvaccinated, vaccinated and augmented people.”

The results were drawn from US data Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), collected from March 1, 2020 to April 6, 2022 from 443,588 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, 40,947 with two or more infections, and 5.3 million uninfected individuals. Most of the subjects were men.

Risk doubled

Reinfected patients had a risk of death more than doubled and a risk of hospitalization more than tripled compared to those infected with COVID once. According to a report published in Medicine of Nature.

“Even if someone has had a previous infection and been vaccinated – meaning they had double immunity from the previous infection plus vaccines – they are still prone to adverse outcomes in case of reinfection,” Al-Aly said. study leader.

People in the study with repeated infections were more than three times more likely to have lung problems, three times more likely to have heart disease, and 60% more likely to have neurological disorders than patients who were only infected once. The highest risks were greatest in the first month after reinfection, but were still evident six months later, the researchers said.

Not a reflection of the population

Experts not involved in the study stated that the VA population does not reflect the general population.

Patients in VA health facilities are generally older people, sicker, and often men, a group that usually have more-than-normal health complications, said John Moore, professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Groningen. Weill Cornell Medical College in New York.

The researchers said the cumulative risks and burdens of repeat infection increased with the number of infections, even after accounting for differences in COVID-19 variants such as Delta, Omicron, and BA.5.

dr. Celine Gounder, infectious disease epidemiologist ea general editor Bee Kaiser Health News, however, he said there appeared to be a “plateau effect” with multiple infections, with a minor increase in risk after the second infection.

“The good news is that the better people are protected with immunity, the lower the risk of complications over time,” he added.

However, Al-Aly warned people to be cautious.

“We have seen many patients come to the clinic with a air of invincibility, “he told Reuters.” They asked themselves, ‘Does reinfection really matter?’ The answer is yes, it absolutely is ”.

In view of the rapid approach of the holiday season with indoor travel and meetings, “people should be aware that reinfection has consequences and they should take precautions,” he added.

_{Adjustments: original article replaced by extended version, 9:57 pm.}