Can A Person Get Coronavirus More Than Once? – How Long is a Person Immune to Coronavirus After Getting it Once?

One of the common questions that are bothering people is that can a person get coronavirus more than once? Or if a person is tested positive once, then are there any chances to get the disease again? It is one of the most concerning issues at the present time. 

You might think that once you are tested positive for COVID-19, and after surviving the disease, you will not get this disease again. But is this presumption really true? 

With the rise in infections and deaths due to coronavirus, the number of recoveries is also increasing. Recoveries are good news for the world that is on edge due to this deadly virus. However, the biggest concern at the present time is that a person can get infected again?

Some reports obtained from China and Japan seem to suggest otherwise. 

For instance, in Japan, a female tour bus guide was tested positive for coronavirus, after recovering from the COVID-19 infection. There was one more case in Japan in which a person in his 70’s was tested positive for SARS-COV2 in February, and after recovering and returning home, he was tested positive again for the virus in March.  

In such a situation, first of all, it is crucial to remember that no test is perfect. If a test result is positive, that does not mean you might necessarily have coronavirus. That is why doctors perform the test multiple times in order to be sure about the result. 

Secondly, the amount of immunity that you develop after getting recovered from a virus depends on the virus as well as your immune system. Your immune system can get infected by a new virus for the first time, as it might not be ready to defend your body. 

If your immune system is strong enough, then next time, it will defend your body from the same virus appropriately. Now the other question that arises is, can people with weak immune systems have coronavirus twice?

According to a review article that was published in the Journal of Medical Virology in January 2020, the response of the immune system to one virus won’t necessarily be the same for the other virus. This entirely depends on how much your immune system recognises the invaders like COVID-19 or SARS-CoV2. 

Therefore, keep in mind that individuals who got recovered from the coronavirus once are free and won’t get the infection again. It all depends on the immunity. The chances are rare but one should take necessary measures to avoid infection. Just because you survived the disease for the first time, doesn’t mean the future possibilities of the infection will end up.