How Often Can You Get COVID-19? Here’s what experts know

Two years into the pandemic, a large percentage of the world is infected with COVID-19. In the US, the latest statistics show that nearly 60% of people have had infections in the past. As states jump back into COVID-19 high alert, the possibility of reinfection becomes all the more likely. But how often can you have COVID?

That’s a tough question to answer, but there are a few things experts have learned about the virus over the past few years.

The New York Post spoke to infectious disease expert Dr. Michael Phillips who provided some context and answers on COVID-19 reinfections. While there is no way of knowing how many times a person can get Covid, people who have been infected with Omicron appear to have less protection than those infected with earlier variants such as Delta.

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The New York Times spoke to a host of experts who suspected Omicron had created a whole new set of problems and disrupted people’s knowledge of the virus and its ability to reinfect. Before the variant existed, experts believed that vaccines and natural infections would naturally kill the virus. Now the situation is difficult to predict as Omicron evolved to evade immunity.

“But fortunately the vast majority of people do [who] The infection usually recovers without too many problems,” explains Dr. Phillips, meaning that the circulating subvariants, while highly contagious, are unlikely to pose a high risk to the majority of the population provided they are vaccinated. The problem with this issue, and with the easy-going mentality that most states and countries have adopted, is the unpredictability of these new batches of reinfections. A large percentage of people will be fine, but those over a certain age or struggling with comorbidities are on much shakier ground.

While our knowledge of the virus suggests that reinfection with the same variant is unlikely, experts are making it clear that it is possible, especially if the person is unvaccinated and especially now that Omicron subvariants are circulating.

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Finally, when it came to protection against COVID infection, Dr. Phillips that the average immune system can fight off COVID reinfection three to five months after the previous round. After six months, you can expect the COVID antibodies to have dropped significantly.

He reiterates the importance of vaccines as they prevent strong infections and help keep the virus under control. Although re-infection cannot be completely ruled out, vaccines and boosters are the most efficient way to reach a point where the virus becomes endemic, and it’s not that big a threat to people with all types of medical conditions.