Does the risk of getting long Covid increase each time you get reinfected?
"It's very clear in our data that reinfection contributes additional risk of long Covid," says epidemiologist Ziyad Al-Aly.
More than three years into the coronavirus pandemic, fewer and fewer people are experiencing their first Covid-19 infections. But as cases climb, those who’ve had the virus before may wonder: What are their chances of developing long Covid — and does the risk increase with each reinfection?
Fatigue and brain fog may be the first post-infection symptoms that come to mind for long Covid, but lists compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and by the World Health Organization also include musculoskeletal pain, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal disorders, and dysautonomia, the disruptions in heart rate, blood pressure, sweating, and other functions our bodies carry out without our control. We still can’t predict, prevent, or cure long Covid — or understand why it affects some people and not others.
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