Will my signs be the identical?
Because the U.S. enters one other respiratory virus season, Individuals are prone to encounter the COVID-19 virus – once more.
For a lot of, this may be their second, third and even fourth time getting sick. So, what ought to individuals anticipate this time round?
Well being specialists say the gravity of your subsequent COVID-19 episode is dependent upon quite a lot of private and environmental components together with your age, underlying medical situations, vaccination standing and the variants that occur to be circulating.
“There may be actually not a assure of what occurs in case you’re reinfected with COVID,” mentioned Raynard Washington, director of the well being division of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina and chair of the Large Cities Well being Coalition, which represents native well being departments nationwide.
Listed below are key issues to bear in mind about repeat COVID infections as we strategy the autumn and winter months.
COVID signs after reinfection
The commonest signs of a COVID-19 an infection are fever, cough, muscle aches and sore throat, mentioned Dr. Robert Hopkins, Jr., medical director for the Nationwide Basis for Infectious Illnesses.
Some individuals additionally report diarrhea and fatigue however different signs widespread initially of the pandemic, just like the lack of style and odor, are much less widespread at the moment.
That is partly because of the altering variants, well being specialists say. The variants circulating at the moment have genetic mutations that trigger sure signs however not others.
Lengthy COVID:Teenagers and youngsters are exhibiting stunning new signs
Totally different signs, and severity of signs, may depend upon an individual’s immunity. A younger, wholesome one who is updated on their COVID-19 vaccines and has had a earlier an infection will seemingly expertise milder sickness their second or third time. Nonetheless, this isn’t everybody’s expertise.
Others are at better danger in the event that they’re reinfected. Hopkins mentioned extreme infections usually tend to happen amongst people who find themselves unvaccinated, older, immunocompromised or have a number of power situations.
“However I additionally see infections in individuals I wouldn’t anticipate, younger and in any other case wholesome,” he mentioned. “As a lot as I’d prefer to say we have now good predictors, we actually don’t.”
Repeat infections and lengthy COVID
Some research counsel Individuals are much less prone to develop lengthy COVID from the omicron variant than they’d have from virus strains that appeared earlier within the pandemic.
This isn’t a tough quick rule: the newer variants haven’t been round lengthy sufficient to find out that for sure. However Hopkins mentioned there’s all the time a danger of growing lengthy COVID with every new an infection.
“The extra infections, the extra occasions you roll the cube, the extra danger you’ve,” he mentioned. “You don’t see the danger diminish as individuals have repeated infections.”
Research present COVID-19 vaccines cut back the danger of growing lengthy COVID, so well being specialists encourage Individuals to get the up to date shot when it turns into out there this fall.
The function of vaccination
The Meals and Drug Administration accepted the newest model of the COVID-19 vaccine Thursday concentrating on the omicron variant KP.2 pressure for Moderna’s Spikevax and Pfizer’s Comirnaty photographs, each of which use messenger RNA expertise.
Because the virus mutates, “We need to make certain our immune system is updated, like our iPhone,” Washington mentioned. “You need these newest updates to guard your telephone and ensure it is functioning correctly.”
In June, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention really useful the brand new vaccine for all Individuals 6 months previous and older. Main pharmacy chains say they anticipate shipments of doses to reach at shops within the upcoming days.
Along with decreasing lengthy COVID danger, well being specialists say getting vaccinated additionally reduces the danger of growing extreme signs that will result in hospitalization or demise.
“The large success of those vaccines is that they are decreasing severity of sickness and saving lives,” Washington mentioned. “The vaccines defend us on the entrance finish to offer our physique the most effective preventing probability to get well from the virus.”
Adrianna Rodriguez could be reached at adrodriguez@usatoday.com.
