Can I Get COVID More Than Once?

With the highly contagious Delta variant now making up the majority of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., many people who had COVID-19 before may be wondering if they can get it again.

As viruses spread from person to person, they constantly mutate. Most mutations are barely noticeable, and some actually make the virus weaker or less contagious. But occasionally, a virus will mutate in a way that makes it stronger or easier to spread. That’s what happened with the Delta variant.

The Delta variant still has a lot in common with previous variants of the virus. So, if you’ve had COVID-19 or the vaccine, the antibodies you have aren’t completely useless. However, they may not be able to fight this variant as effectively as they would the previous one. The result is that you could get infected again, and some people are getting sick enough to be hospitalized.

Local hospitals and clinics are starting to see some patients admitted who had COVID in the past, so it does appear that the Delta variant is more effective at getting past the body’s acquired immunity after an initial infection.

Getting vaccinated is your best protection, even for those who have had COVID-19. The vaccine works like a booster for your immune system giving the body a more robust response to any future infection. To schedule a vaccine today, visit brgeneral.org/vaccine.