This guide will give an overview of how people can avoid getting infected again with COVID-19 variants.

Contracting the coronavirus is very risky, especially for people with existing illnesses, since it increases all the complications you may encounter from getting infected with the virus.

All of us would like to avoid getting infected with the virus as much as possible. 

However, a significant chunk of the population all over the world was infected by the virus.

While some are lucky to heal and recover after contracting the coronavirus, this does not mean that they are safe from getting reinfected with another variant of COVID-19.

There are multiple reports of various variants of the coronavirus emerging from different parts of the world. Some of the variants are reported to be more dangerous or more contagious than the original one.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that getting reinfected with a different variant is rare. Despite this, there is still a small likelihood that this may occur.

This guide will discuss information about how to avoid acquiring the COVID-19 virus for the second time.

COVID-19 Variants

In the United States, one of the first documented cases of COVID-19 reinfection occurred when a 25-year-old man got the virus in April 2020 and was reported to have it again in June 2020.

Last year, experts thought that the chance of getting reinfected is very slim. However, they are beginning to show concern as more and more variants of the virus begin to appear.

In Manaus, located in Brazil, more than 70% of the whole population acquired COVID-19 around the fall of 2020. December of the same year, the number of coronavirus infections spiked again in the city.

Experts believe that a COVID-19 variant known as P.1. caused the resurgence of infections in the city.

Andrew Pekosz, a virologist for the John Hopkins Bloomberg School, states that the variant can affect healed COVID-19 patients and reduce existing vaccines’ effectiveness.

Because of this, cities like the Manaus, where experts thought have already achieved herd community, can get reinfected.

Two other coronavirus variants are spreading across the world, namely the B.1.1.7 and B.1.351.

The first reported case of the B.1.1.7 was in England. Meanwhile, the B.1.351 was first discovered in South Africa.

The three new variants of the COVID-19 virus have already been found in the United States. Experts are alarmed since the new variants can be more contagious. 

Aside from this, the case of reinfection and the number of new variants may continue to rise as the virus continues to mutate and spread worldwide.

Reinfection Risk For Elders

While older people are already at high risk of contracting the coronavirus, they are even more vulnerable to getting reinfected.

A study reports that there is less than a 20% chance of getting reinfected for people who are below 65 years old.

However, individuals who are 65 and above only have a 47% chance of being immune from the virus, which means that they can contract the virus again by more than 50%.

The study showed that older people are more at risk even after they have already healed since COVID-19 may have significantly weakened their immune systems.

Avoiding Reinfection

Experts recommend that individuals take the following safety precautions even if they have already healed from the coronavirus so they may avoid contracting it again:

• Always wash hands.
• Continue to practice social distancing.
• Always wear a mask, especially when going outdoors.
• Avoid public places with high people traffic, especially closed spaces.

Experts also strongly recommend that people get vaccinated as soon as possible, especially if they are more at risk of contracting the virus.

Vaccines available in the United States are known to be still effective against the new variants of COVID-19.

Getting vaccinated can significantly help in avoiding contracting the virus. Aside from this, the vaccine can also decrease the effects of the virus.

It is also recommended that people continue to practice social distancing even if they are already vaccinated to avoid contracting new variants that may emerge.

Editor’s Note on How To Avoid COVID-19 Again:

This article is published to give you an overview of how to avoid being reinfected by the coronavirus.

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