Can you get COVID twice – and how soon can you get it again?
Yes. And within 2 months (usually longer). The length of immunity people get after contracting coronavirus, is not clear but for 90% it is over five months (Dan et al, 2021). But you can get it earlier as we say.
A question people often wonder is, can you catch COVID-19 more than once? If so, how quickly can you get it again? We will now address these questions.
Can you get COVID-19 twice?
Yes, it is possible to get COVID-19 two, three or even more times.
COVID reinfections have become more common because of the Omicron variant, and because immunity from previous infection and immunisation has reduced over time.
According to ONS data, reinfections were five times higher in periods when Omicron was dominant, compared to Delta.
When someone catches coronavirus, their immune system will generate a response that helps them to fight off the virus if they are exposed to it again. But it’s not clear how long this immune response lasts, and it varies between people.
Those who are unvaccinated are more likely to catch COVID again, compared to those who have been vaccinated. So the safest approach is to make sure you are up-to-date with COVID vaccination.
How soon can you get COVID again?
We are still learning more about this, and the answer is likely to vary from person to person.
A Danish study has found that some people who caught the first strain of Omicron (BA.1) have been infected with the Omicron subvariant (BA.2) within two months.
The researchers looked at 1,739 cases of people testing positive twice (between 20 and 60 days apart), at a time when there were over 1.8 million cases of COVID in Denmark. Most of the reinfections happened amongst young people who were unvaccinated, and none of the reinfections led to severe illness.
The UKHSA counts cases as ‘reinfections’ if they happen at least 91 days from an initial infection. But we do not have data from the UK to tell us how soon you can be re-infected.
Summary
We have explained can you get COVID twice – and how soon can you get it again. Within 2 months. We hope it has helped you.
Last Reviewed on 9 June 2024