Cases of reinfection could mean no possible immunity from virus

According to recent research, coronavirus patients may experience more severe symptoms when they are infected for the second time. The research confirms that it is possible to catch the virus more than once, which means being exposed to COVID-19 does not guarantee immunity.

The research looks at a 25 year old man from the US who was infected by different variants of the virus withing 48 hours. The second time when he was infected was much severe and the patient required oxygen support.

This recent study could change the way the world has been fighting the pandemic, especially the creation of a vaccine. Experts believe more research is needed to understand immunity and how long it lasts for those exposed to the coronavirus.

Since we still dont know how long coronavirus antibodies last, it is difficult to create a vaccine which will fight off any second wave of infection. Diseases like measles offer lifelong immunity once exposed, but for Covid, this seems to be fleeting.

There could be another reason why being exposed to the virus for a second time calls for a more severe situation- it is a mechanism called antibody dependent enhancement- which makes subsequent infections worse. While reinfection with Covid remains rare, it still gives an opportunity to the science community to study the immune system better. There are still roadblocks, since many cases are asymptomatic and it is hard to know if someone has been infected for the first or second time.