Covid more than once?

rubysong:

'I think having Omicron gives good, long lasting immunity'

Maybe it does - for some people - but not for others - so still hardly a reason for catching it.

'Undue public confidence in the long-term durability of immunity following natural infection by SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to contribute to vaccine hesitancy, perhaps because of a false equivalence with the long-term immunity after natural recovery from evolutionarily divergent viruses causing diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella. By contrast, numerous respiratory viruses such as influenza, human rhinoviruses, or coronaviruses can overcome the immunity conferred by previous infections by evolving new variants in the protein domains most frequently surveilled and targeted by the human immune system. Just over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, novel SARS-CoV-2 variants that can vary in severity of infection and evoke differential immune system responses and that can thwart the durability of immunity started arising.'

www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(21)00219-6/fulltext

I suppose my dd could have caught ‘ordinary’ flu on that plane - flu can certainly knock your stuffing out for quite a while - at least my one and only dose of it did.

I well remember walking the dog with a dd, a good 2-3 weeks after I was feeling miles better.
‘Mum, can’t you walk a bit faster?’
‘Sorry darling, I honestly can’t.’

Plenty of people do like to call a heavy cold ‘flu’, though, unless/until they find out the hard way.

As Jaxjacky suggests, having had Delta covid doesn't protect against Omicron covid. I think having Omicron gives good, long lasting immunity. There might be a case for deliberately catching it sooner rather than later, before the booster starts to wane too much, (along as one is reasonably healthy too start with).

Pammie, I am so sorry to hear what you and your partner have gone through.

A friend of ours caught Covid in a hospital waiting room and died. It was the first time she had been out of the house in a year. Her son and DIL, who had accompanied her, became seriously ill.

When I had a heart attack in the middle of the pandemic, as CEV and immunocompromised, I was sent home after twenty four hours, because it could not be guaranteed that I would not catch Covid in hospital. It was not a pleasant experience at all.

I’m CEV and so is my partner. We have shielded since the pandemic began and are still doing so on medical advice. I’ve had Covid twice and tested positive a third time with no symptoms. The first time was as a result of partner going into hospital early last year. On admission he had an LFT which proved positive. Despite telling the hospital he had been shielding and didn’t see how he could be positive, he was put straight into a Covid ward without waiting for the follow up PCR results. The PCR came back negative but too late as he caught the virus and passed it onto me when he came home - we were both severely ill with it.

The second time was a few days after I had a clinic visit in June 2021. I was sitting in a busy waiting room for nearly an hour and tested positive a few days later. I had had two vaccinations at this point and although I was unwell, it was nowhere near as severe as the first time.

The third time I have no idea as to how I picked it up - I tested positive on LFT just after Christmas and had no symptoms. I haven’t been over the doorstep unless absolutely necessary and when I do, I wear a mask and socially distance. I am very careful - very few people come into the house.

My consultant has suggested that the third positive may not be a new infection. Apparently in those with a compromised immune system the virus can stay dormant in the body and reactivate at a later date. I’m currently waiting to see if I am eligible for antibody testing to determine susceptibility in the future. Am fully vaccinated and have just had fourth vaccine. Sorry for the long post, but I’m just making the point that it’s not as straightforward as being careless - sometimes circumstances overtake you and are beyond your control. And Omicron is much more transmissible so I think a lot of people are going to be reinfected through no fault of their own.

My BiL probably had it 2 years ago too, again before anyone would have twigged. He was in hospital having a knee op, and evidently caught something else because he took a long time to recover, very tired, etc.

He also has prostate cancer, though under control, and his consultant recently said he’d almost certainly had Covid in January 2020.

Yes, two DDs out of three and three DGC out of five have all had it twice.
First time was in March 2020 and second time either December 2020 or December 2021.
Thé others only once so far. Me and one DD never….. yet but it is so prolific here, I won’t hold my breathe.

The scientists say that the vaccination is good for a few months, therefore if we catch the infection we will have it light but as time moves on we are less covered. The question is do I go out without taking precautions and catch it or wait and have it bad.

I know lots of people who have had it twice all working with children.

My eldestGD has had it twice. Once at the beginning of December and then over New Year. Just like a heavy cold the second time .

Two of my grandchildren have had it twice for one(18) first time was nothing second time bad…. for the other (20) first time really bad, second time nothing much
One of mine was like yours Sarnia had to wait a month as it was a few sprays before second jab due
Two others have had it once, one (21) was really poorly, the other(18) just off for a couple of days it’s sooooooo random

I’m pretty sure she had COVID right at the beginning of all this, before anyone would have twigged, so January 2 years ago.
I'm sure there are quite a lot of us who think we may have had Covid in December 2019/January 2020, Witzend.
Of course, we'll never know but I have never felt that ill with flu, nor had a cough or had it linger so long (7 weeks).

The vaccinations and booster all seem to have re-activated mild symptoms too.
I've not had a positive test at all.

I’m hearing of quite a few children being reinfected. So, no jabs. I work with children so it was only a matter of time before I had it. Hasn’t been like a cold for me. Had one day of being ridiculously poorly and then random symptoms the rest of the days. No cough. No temperature and the sore throat only briefly appeared on day 4.

An 18 year old GD had Covid in July last year right before she was due to have her jab, then a month ago she contracted Omicron just before her 2nd jab was due. She said she had experienced worse colds than Omicron. She had a violent headache and sore throat for a day. She has to wait for the allotted time to elapse before she can have her next jab. She is pretty much back to normal now with going to work and socialising with her friends.

I had Covid before I was able to be vaccinated, but even though I’ve had two vaccinations and the booster I still take care. I wear a mask and sanitise and avoid crowds where possible.
We are going on holiday to Portugal at the end of March but we’ll wear an ffp2/3 mask on the plane and our accommodation (not a hotel) is a small unit of six lovely apartments, situated in the countryside, so away from crowds. We’ll go out and about, but we’ll take care.

This is a very interesting point Witzend, 'He never gets ordinary colds, either, and AFAIK they’re a type of COVID virus.'

I read an article a couple of weeks ago about people who have a natural immunity without ever having had covid. I looked for it just now but can't find it.

I do think some people are more susceptible
You can pick it up regardless of being vaccinated but the effects in most are greatly reduced
It is no surprise people can catch it more than once we also have different variants although Omicron seems the most prevalent
Our family have just had four cases nobody was doing anything outrageous just shopping all wearing masks just passed it one to another very quickly
We had all also been testing but you can change from negative to positive very quickly in hours
Saying that two had no symptoms two had mild colds nothing to cause any concern

Along with nearly all the rest of us, a triple jabbed dd had the Omicron right after Christmas, and had worse symptoms than anyone else.

I’m pretty sure she had COVID right at the beginning of all this, before anyone would have twigged, so January 2 years ago.
She went with partner to S Africa for the cricket, caught something from someone coughing incessantly on the plane, and spent virtually the entire 2 weeks in bed in a hotel room. Felt very tired and rough for several weeks afterwards.

Interestingly, despite sharing a bed with her all that time, her partner didn’t catch whatever it was. And he was the only one out of 11 of us who never tested positive after the Christmas get-together. A case of super-immunity, surely.
He never gets ordinary colds, either, and AFAIK they’re a type of COVID virus.

Our GD has had it twice, last July and the week before last, minimal symptoms, maybe Delta then Omicron? She’s at school, 14 and unvaccinated.

My daughter has had it twice, 9 months apart before the vaccines arrived. She’s a nurse and takes all the precautions she can both in and out of work. But the immunosuppressive drugs she takes for rheumatoid arthritis make her more susceptible. My grandson arrived home unwell from school during an outbreak and by evening she was also unwell. He’d already infected his Mum before his symptoms appeared.

We have very different immune systems - and varying levels of immunity post Covid too.

Even a good immune response soon wanes after three months. I think most of us will catch it at some point, probably more than once.

It seems that plans for yearly boosters - for winter, like the flu jab - are intended to reduce infection and hospitalisation levels, that's all.

One of my household has had it twice in 4 months, I haven't had it once.

I think reinfections are hiding the real figures, at the moment they are only counting the first time people are positive.

I have heard they will start counting reinfections the end of the month?

Your colleague's daughter sounds like the young adults I know who've had it more than once Marydoll.

Yes Maw, no way to protect children of that age really, other than by using good masks. Glad he's OK.

PS for children who are not old enough to be vaccinated, it is hardly a case of “lifestyle” more that they have to go to school.

My eldest GS had Covid (asymptomatic) over Christmas 2020 which resulted in me being left on my own at home as I was “bubbled” with them and had planned to stay.
Last week he tested positive and has it again.
Fortunately not unwell either time, but at 11 1/2 he is still not old enough to be vaccinated.

A colleague of my daughter's has had Covid three times, despite being vaccinated.

Her gran died of it, but she continues to go clubbing and turning up for work, when she should be isolating.
This of course, is an extreme case of someone one who is totally reckless and selfish.

Perhaps those who catch Covid more than once, may just be more susceptible to it, GagaJo and nothing to do with their lifestyle.