Severe COVID-19 appears less likely when you're infected for a second time

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-11-25 09:00

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Those people who become infected with COVID-19 a second time are far less likely to have a severe form of the virus, according to research out of Qatar. The researchers looked at population data to track the outcomes of 1,304 people who contracted the virus twice and compare it with those who contracted COVID-19 for the first time in early 2021. The researchers say the risk of having a severe COVID-19 infection the second time around is about one per cent of the risk of severe COVID-19 the first time around. Most reinfections occurred around nine months after the first infection, and the researchers say if previous infection helps prevent severe COVID-19, it is too early to tell how long that will last.