Omicron reinfection: How high is the risk of repeat COVID-19?

Omicron reinfection: How high is the risk of repeat COVID-19?

Is Omicron reinfection possible? If so, how many times can it happen to a person? Experts now say the new strain may infect the same person twice, which means the chances of reinfection are high. Getting sick once with Omicron, recovering from the illness — and getting that same illness again later — is something health experts are closely watching now. Omicron was discovered only in November 2021, but has quickly become the dominant strain. Dr Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, says “the chance of getting reinfected with Omicron is almost 5½-fold higher than reinfection with Delta." Generally, a COVID infection bestows immunity against reinfection for at least six months, say experts. But in the case of Omicron, the protection against reinfection drops to around 19 per cent, Imperial College London researchers said. Of course, the immune response is linked to a person's health, and the risk is much higher among the immunocompromised. US epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding says an Omicron reinfection is possible “if the first Omicron infection was of a 'low-dose' that did not stimulate the immune system enough”. What we’ve gathered so far: Reinfection is the second COVID infection,