The reports of people who have already been infected with the corona virus several times are increasing. Not in the least since the emergence of the ommicron variant, according to scientists, we must finally say goodbye to so-called herd immunity. As a new study shows, it’s not necessarily easier to learn to live with the virus — because: Reinfection likely increases the risk of death again.
Since Monday, there has been no mandatory isolation after an infection with the corona virus in Austria. Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) recently said that one should “make life with Corona possible”.
More and more people have been hit by a positive corona test multiple times – fueled by the declining immune protection from vaccination and new variants are increasingly favored by such reinfections.
Sometimes up to four infections
However, according to a recent analysis by researchers at the Washington School of Medicine, a severe course and an increased risk of death should be expected with any new disease. The scientists came to this conclusion after studying the records of more than five million American veterans.
257,427 people were infected with SARS-CoV-2. Among them, there were 36,417 with two infections (12.29%), 2263 with three infections (0.76%) and even 246 (0.08%) with four or more infections. Compared to people who had only been ill once before, the risk of death from reinfections was more than twice as high and the risk of hospitalization even tripled.
Entire chain of complications possible
In such cases, especially the lungs of the patients again showed complications, but also cardiovascular diseases, haematological disorders, fatigue (exhaustion syndrome) and intestinal diseases increased significantly.
Kidney disease, mental illness, diabetes mellitus, musculoskeletal disorders and neurological disorders also increased significantly. After six months, an increased number of secondary diseases was still detectable. Vaccination status did not affect the risk of complications.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
