About eleven months after the first case of Covid-19 was confirmed in Kasargod, Kerala on February 3, 2020, we still have a lot to learn about the novel Coronavirus. While concerns about reinfection loom large, much research is required to understand how long the antibodies developed after a recent Covid-19 infection will protect a person, if at all — and are the antibodies even strong enough to fight a reinfection?
The question ‘whether one can be reinfected with Covid-19’ was answered in August 2020 when a 33-year-old man from Hong Kong was infected by the same virus a second time. This was followed by another case of reinfection of a 25-year-old man from the United States. While these case studies are yet to be peer-reviewed, they bring clarity that reinfection is a reality. After these global developments, it was noted that if SARS-CoV-2 (virus that causes Covid-19), follows the footsteps of other pre-existing viruses like Coronavirus, reinfection will be common and will not remain to be a one-off case study.
Now if Covid-19 reinfection becomes the ‘new normal’, will it follow the path of common viruses that give you a cold every year as the season changes? If so, one must understand one key difference between the two — seasonal cold is not fatal, Covid-19 can be, and can have a devastating and long-lasting impact.
Researchers across the globe continue to state that the life and strength of antibodies need to be studied deeply; this would require conducting large studies with a wider range of people who have recently recovered from Covid-19. Closer home, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is studying the reinfection episodes among those who have been treated for Covid-19. While more data-driven facts are awaited, it needs to be understood that we cannot take antibodies for granted; they do not make for an ‘immunity passport’ as World Health Organisation (WHO) aptly put it. Getting a Covid-19 vaccine may prevent you from getting seriously ill even if you do get infected, and it will protect people around you, particularly those at high risk.
Now we know reinfection is real; so while we wait for the regulator approved Covid-19 vaccines, let’s continue to safeguard ourselves and our loved ones — it may be a few months before you get the jab. Stay safe, positive, and if you’ve been infected before, don’t take antibodies for granted!
(The author is a specialist in infectious disease.)