COVID-19 reinfections are becoming a regular occurrence in the U.S. as new variants emerge and surges come and go, but experts are still unclear on the long-term ramifications of these repeat infections, according to The Atlantic.
It's not uncommon for someone to contract COVID-19 infections several times in one year amid the rapid emergence of new variants. One study suggests the shortest known gap between COVID-19 infections was 20 days. However, many experts predict this reinfection rate will slow over time as population immunity increases.
Aubree Gordon, PhD, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, estimates that people will contract COVID-19 infections every three years or so, on average.
"Barring some intervention that really changes the landscape, we will all get SARS-CoV-2 multiple times in our life," she told The Atlantic. This cadence would mirror the reinfection rates of flu and other coronavirus infections.
Experts say there is still not enough evidence to predict how dangerous or severe future COVID-19 infections will be. One theory is that the virus will become the fifth coronavirus responsible for causing common colds, but scientists still don't know what happens to people who repeatedly contract COVID-19 infections.
"Will reinfection be really bad, or not a big deal? I think you could fall down on either side," Vineet Menachery, PhD, a coronavirologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, told The Atlantic. "There's still a lot of gray."
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