How Often Can You Be Infected With the Coronavirus?
The spread of the Omicron variant has given scientists an unsettling answer: repeatedly, sometimes within months.
The central problem is that the coronavirus has become more adept at reinfecting people.
…some small fraction may have symptoms that persist for months or years, a condition known as long Covid.
“The virus is going to keep evolving,” [expert] added. “And there are probably going to be a lot of people getting many, many reinfections throughout their lives.”
Unlike previous variants, Omicron and its many descendants seem to have evolved to partially dodge immunity. That leaves everyone — even those who have been vaccinated multiple times — vulnerable to multiple infections.
“If we manage it the way that we manage it now, then most people will get infected with it at least a couple of times a year,” said Kristian Andersen, a virologist at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego. “I would be very surprised if that’s not how it’s going to play out.”
This about set me off:
The new variants have not altered the fundamental usefulness of the Covid vaccines. Most people who have received three or even just two doses will not become sick enough to need medical care if they test positive for the coronavirus. And a booster dose, like a previous bout with the virus, does seem to decrease the chance of reinfection — but not by much.
By the quasi-official New York Times' quasi-official vaccine shill Apoorva Mandavilli. I thought that miserable wretch had been taken off this beat for general sunny incompetence. No.
