Coronavirus reinfection rare but more common in people above 65, says study

A new study reveals that people who have recovered from a Covid-19 infection are likely to be protected from reinfection for at least six months. However, the protection automatically drops if the person is over the age of 65. Titled as 'Assessment of protection against reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 among 4 million PCR-tested individuals in Denmark in 2020: a population-level observational study', the study talks about that protection in the general population is 80 per cent or higher as compared to those younger than 65. Also, it is 47 per cent in those aged 65 years and older. This indicates that they are more likely to get infected again.

During the discussion of the research paper, the scientists said, “We found protection in the population to be 80% or higher in those younger than 65 years but to be approximately 47% in those aged 65 years and older. We did not see signs of waning protection against repeat infection within the year 2020”. They added, “Our estimates for overall protection after the previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 of 77-83% are in line with several other cohort studies from the UK, Qatar, and the USA that reported reinfection to be rare and occurring in fewer than 1% of all Covid-19 cases”.

'Most reliable'

According to the reports by The Hill, the authors found no evidence of protection against repeat infection after six months of follow-up. The study further concludes that natural protection, particularly among elders, cannot be depended upon. Also, it said that the vaccination of all populations is ‘most reliable’ to ensure protection against the COVID-19 virus. As a part of the study, the patient data which was collected in Denmark was analysed. This was done because the county has instituted a successful national testing program. Also, the country has been expanding its free PCR testing program. 

The scientists said that they estimated low protection against reinfection in people aged 65 years or older, as compared with younger individuals. They said, “Those aged 65 years and older had less than 50 per cent protection against repeat SARS-CoV-2 infections after the first infection. However, another study group, who used a different study design, found a high degree of protection against reinfection among older people”.

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