Studies suggest it’s easier than we thought to get COVID twice

Casey Chang

Research on Covid-19 continues as cases and hospitalizations surge.

Renna Popli, Junior Editor
November 19, 2020

As coronavirus cases surge, studies suggest that coronavirus can likely be contracted numerous times, and that children and teens are not immune. 

A recent study in England indicates that–contrary to common belief–you can get COVID-19 more than once. The amount of coronavirus antibodies that are developed when someone contracts COVID can quickly decline, sometimes so much so that they become undetectable. 

“Your body’s immune system produces antibodies in response to a foreign object like a virus. These antibodies help fight off the foreign ‘antigen’. Our immune system has a way to ‘remember’ viruses it has encountered before because it has a reserve of memory B and T cells that can mount a quick attack against a repeat antigen,” said AV biology teacher Cora Da Costa.

The study entailed sending at-home finger prick tests to 350,000 randomly selected people. At the beginning of the study 6% of people had IgG antibodies, but at the end of the three-month study that number was down to 4.4%. 

The confusing part is that other studies related to the coronavirus seem to signal that coronavirus antibodies do remain in your body for long periods of time, hence keeping you immune. There are many kinds of antibodies your body can develop (not just IgG), but the significance of each is still being researched. 

Grocery store shoppers take precautions by wearing masks and staying socially distant.

“I am still taking precautions with friends because I feel the virus has not subsided in any way … Getting the virus would be a pain because I’d be putting at risk family members in danger,” says Faiz Lodhi (‘22). 

The American Academy of Pediatrics states that nearly 800,000 children have been affected by the coronavirus. Not only can children/teens get the coronavirus, they can get it more than once. Death rates among children appear to be similar to those of the flu, but long-term effects are still being researched. 

With flu season already among us, it is more important than ever that we all take precautions. This virus is still affecting families and taking lives. No matter how tired you are of staying at home, it is imperative that we all keep ourselves and our loved ones safe by maintaining social distancing and wearing masks.