Covid-19 Infection Provides Protection against Reinfection for Roughly 10 Months

According to a study published in The Lancet on Thursday, a COVID-19 infection can protect against the symptomatic illness for approximately 10 months and lower the risk of severe illness. In the study, the researchers from the COVID-19 Forecasting Team at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation revealed that this study is the first and largest review of available data on the subject.

The findings of the study showed that the immunity against all variants of coronavirus appeared to be high for ten months following a COVID-19 infection. Dr. Chris Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, revealed that unlike other viral infections, such as measles or chickenpox, protection from COVID-19 does not last forever. Hence, even those with inherent immunity will probably require an annual COVID-19 booster. However, people do not need to get shots more frequently than once a year because natural immunity lasts for a long time.

Additionally, the researchers discovered that those who experienced any pre-Omicron coronavirus illness had significant defences against BA infection. He noted that the findings of the study do not suggest that people should skip a vaccine or booster, as without vaccination, a first infection can have a substantial risk of severe illness or death, especially in people with other comorbidities. Furthermore, several studies have shown that a more severe illness increases the risk of developing COVID.