Covid twice!

[charlmwa]

Has anyone truly had covid twice as in confirmed positive tests.
I had it over Xmas and was still testing positive mid jan
Iv now came down with a cold feel rubbish can taste, smell is dulled but I am snotty etc coughing occasionally but more when the flem catches... wouldn't I still have immunity? I'm panicking incase I have it again and it's worse and I die. Can anyone help?

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2 family members who work for the NHS have had confirmed COVID twice, plus a friend who is a GP.

@Whyarewehardofthinking how where they with it second time round please?

Have you had a test? There are other viruses. I think a second infection is usually much milder.

@Cookerhood no not been tested but will book one for tomorrow. Just worried incase I have it again and it hits me hard second time was mild before Christmas.

If you are worried just book a test.

I have tested positive twice, last summer and recently. The second time my symptoms were less intense and that is the general pattern I believe. I think you'd be very unlucky to get it again so quickly though. Try not to worry, it's probably not covid and if it is you're very likely to be fine.

Just book a test. It's probably just a cold but your system is a bit weak. Either way lots of vitamins and a paracetamol will help.

I know a household in London who had covid in the 1st wave (confirmed because they took part in a study to test antibodies) and they tested positive again during the 2nd wave. I thought that antibodies/immunity were only present for around 3 months? If this isn’t the case I’d like to know (we’ve had covid recently) as I’d like to know how worried I need to be about re infection.

I thought that antibodies/immunity were only present for around 3 months? If this isn’t the case I’d like to know (we’ve had covid recently) as I’d like to know how worried I need to be about re infection.

DH, DS and I had textbook loss of taste and smell starting 10th March 2020, but no tests available at the time. No temp, cough, or breathing trouble so a very mild case.

We had the antibody test in May 2020 when it came out and came back positive for antibodies so can only assume that’s when we had it.

We had antibody tests again in September and December 2020 and again on the 1yr anniversary of us having it - all came back positive

So on my experience, antibodies last at least a year

We’ve had the vaccine now so won’t carry on testing but am confident we got a full year of immunity from our (very mild) case

I believe that, having studied people infected during the first wave, it is thought likely that immunity lasts at least 8 months for the majority. Immunity is not just conferred by antibodies but by T cell mediated immunity so one can test negative for antibodies but still be able to mount an immune response when exposed to the antigen.

Thanks @GappyValley that’s good to know. I’m getting mixed messages. I suppose the problem is not many people would know for sure if they had covid the 1st time around.

A colleague of mine has had it twice - about 8 weeks apart. Both confirmed on PCR test

@GappyValley there is no logic to your assertion that the antibodies lasted a year. The majority of the population has never had Covid. By far the most likely reason you did not catch it sooner is just that you were not infected. Not that the antibodies protected you.

[quote withmycoffee]@GappyValley there is no logic to your assertion that the antibodies lasted a year. The majority of the population has never had Covid. By far the most likely reason you did not catch it sooner is just that you were not infected. Not that the antibodies protected you. [/quote]
Huh?

I know in May 2020 I had antibodies confirming a previous infection.

At earliest, that would have been April 2020, but was most likely March 2020 given that’s when I had symptoms

In May 2020, I had confirmed antibodies
In September 2020, I had confirmed antibodies
In December 2020, I had confirmed antibodies
In March 2021, I had confirmed antibodies

I’m not going to test again because I’ve now had the vaccine, and the vaccine creates antibodies to protect against future infection.
If you don’t believe in antibody responses, you presumably don’t believe vaccines work?

@Dingleydel

Thanks *@GappyValley* that’s good to know. I’m getting mixed messages. I suppose the problem is not many people would know for sure if they had covid the 1st time around.

I can’t confirm we had it in March 2020 because PCR tests weren’t available then

But having a positive antibody test in May 2020 means we had it no later than April, so absolute ‘worst’ case is that I had detected antibodies for 11 months, confirmed with Roche lab tests

Why did you test again on Jan when you'd only had it late December?

Snowone your colleague may have tested positive the second time from the same infection. It is certainly possible to continue to test positive up to 90 days after infection, although no longer infectious.

@Literallynoidea

Why did you test again on Jan when you'd only had it late December?

Some studies ask people to test again after an infection, like the Zoe app asked me to do this last year.

Thanks all test booked for 1:30 today , can't smell at all now and very chesty 👎🏻

I believe I had Covid last year in March, having many of the common and uncommon symptoms, but no test available. I started feeling ill again in May with fewer, milder symptoms. I tested positive via PCR and went on to have long Covid symptoms for a few more months. I might have had it twice, or I might have been still shedding old virus. I did have a raised temperature on the testing day.