Cases of COVID-19 are decreasing in several countries around the world, but just because you've contracted the virus once doesn't mean you can't get infected again. Unfortunately, if you've caught COVID-19, you are still susceptible to getting infected again. Research has not yet determined how long you are immune to the virus after an infection.
Some people may think that after contracting COVID-19, they can enjoy a period of immunity against reinfection, but this is not the case. A study from the World Health Organization showed that while the Omicron variant tends to have milder symptoms, reinfection has been much more likely compared to other variants. In fact, the likelihood of reinfection with the Omicron variant was five times greater than that with other COVID-19 variants.
An analysis conducted by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in December found that one in ten individuals infected with the Omicron variant had previously contracted COVID-19 at least once.
Can you get infected with the virus twice in the same month?
This is rare but possible, as some individuals have been infected with COVID-19 twice within a month. Such cases seem to occur when a person has different variants—for instance, being infected with Delta first and then contracting Omicron—but research has not yet proven this theory.
However, most reports indicate that it is likely to avoid reinfection within three months of contracting COVID-19. Therefore, if you have recently recovered from COVID-19 and start experiencing symptoms again, you should not rule out reinfection.
Studies have suggested that immunity after a single infection can last from three months to several years. It is important to remember that, unlike other diseases, contracting COVID-19 once definitely does not mean you cannot get infected again, according to the British newspaper Express.
