Covid-19 reinfections less likely to cause long Covid: Study

IANS May 13, 2025 407 views

A new study reveals Covid reinfections significantly lower the risk of developing long Covid compared to initial infections. Researchers found only 6% of reinfected individuals developed long-term symptoms versus 15% after first exposure. Omicron infections showed the lowest long Covid rates, though widespread transmission still led to many cases. The findings suggest immune adaptation may help reduce persistent symptoms in reinfected individuals.

"Long Covid risk is roughly two-thirds lower following reinfection compared to first infection" – Laval University Researchers
Covid-19 reinfections less likely to cause long Covid: Study
New Delhi, May 13: Reinfections with SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind Covid-19, is less likely to cause long Covid -- a condition that affects at least 65 million people worldwide, according to a study.

Key Points

1

Long Covid risk drops to 6% after reinfection vs 15% initially

2

Omicron infections show lowest long Covid rates

3

Fatigue and cognitive issues remain top symptoms

4

Study analyzed over 26,000 survey responses

Long Covid affects people after an infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The condition is not properly defined yet presents more than 200 symptoms. Long Covid risk and severity is known to compromise self-rated health, physical capacity, and cognitive function.

The preprint study, not peer-reviewed yet, showed that the risk of Long Covid was 6 per cent after reinfections from Covid virus compared to 15 per cent after the initial infection.

Fatigue, shortness of breath, neurocognitive symptoms, post-exertional malaise, and smell or taste disturbances were the most reported common symptoms among people with long Covid.

"Severe symptoms were reported 5 to 22 times more often by long Covid cases than by Covid controls, except for fever, cough, insomnia, anxiety, and depression (2.7 to 4.5 times)," said the Laval University in Quebec, Canada.

The study is based on 22,496 online survey participants and 3,978 telephone survey participants.

The results showed that the risk of long Covid was two to three times higher after the initial infection (14.8 per cent). On the other hand, the risk of long Covid was 5.8 per cent after the first reinfection and 5.3 per cent after the second.

Notably, the risk for long Covid was highest following infections with the ancestral strain and lowest after Omicron infections.

However, because Omicron caused such widespread transmission, that strain was associated with the most long-Covid cases.

"The study indicates that long Covid risk is roughly two-thirds lower following reinfection compared to first infection," the researchers said. "This may be partly related to greater host-specific resistance among individuals who did not have long Covid following their first episode," they added.

Reader Comments

P
Priya K.
This is reassuring news! After seeing so many people suffer from long Covid symptoms in my housing society, it's good to know reinfections may be less severe. But we still need to be careful - Omicron spread like wildfire in Delhi last winter. Better safe than sorry! 😷
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Rahul S.
Interesting study but I'm skeptical about these percentages. My cousin got Covid three times and still has terrible fatigue. The sample size seems small for India's population. We need more research focused on Indian demographics - our immunity and health conditions are different from Western countries.
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Anjali M.
As someone who had long Covid for 8 months after first infection, I can confirm symptoms were much milder when I got reinfected. But the mental health impact is still not talked about enough - anxiety and depression are very real consequences. Hope our healthcare system prepares for this.
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Vikram J.
The study says Omicron caused most long-Covid cases simply because it infected more people. That's why we shouldn't drop our guard even if symptoms seem mild. Remember how our hospitals were overwhelmed during Delta wave? Prevention is always better than cure.
S
Sunita R.
Good to see research on long Covid finally getting attention. But what about treatment options? Many ayurvedic remedies helped my family during Covid recovery. Maybe our traditional medicine systems can contribute solutions too. India has so much to offer in healthcare innovation.
K
Karan P.
While this is positive news, we must remember 5% of reinfections still lead to long Covid. That's thousands of people potentially suffering. Our offices and schools need better policies to support those with lingering symptoms. Health should come before productivity always.

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Tags:
Covid reinfection long Covid study Omicron variant Laval University research