Reinfection Rates among Patients who Previously Tested Positive for COVID-19: a Retrospective Cohort Study

Conclusions: Prior infection in patients with COVID-19 was highly protective against reinfection and symptomatic disease. This protection increased over time, suggesting that viral shedding or ongoing immune response may persist beyond 90 days and may not represent true reinfection. As vaccine supply is limited, patients with known history of COVID-19 could delay early vaccination to allow for the most vulnerable to access the vaccine and slow transmission.

Sheehan MM, Reddy AJ, Rothberg MB. Reinfection Rates among Patients who Previously Tested Positive for COVID-19: a Retrospective Cohort Study. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Mar 15:ciab234. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab234. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33718968; PMCID: PMC7989568.