If I’ve Been Boosted and Infected, Am I Safe from COVID-19?
Last week, after almost two years of avoiding it, I tested positive for COVID-19. I was lucky to have a very mild case, in large part thanks to my three vaccine doses. Almost as soon as my symptoms cleared, I began to wonder what this meant for me. Could I finally relax a little?
I’m not alone in wondering, as the latest submission to our COVID Questions advice column shows. Many fully vaccinated and/or boosted people have experienced breakthrough infections during the Omicron wave, which has raised the idea of “super-immunity.” If both vaccines and infections boost your immune response, surely you’re in good shape if you’ve had both—right?
First, the buzzkill: Experts told me there is no point at which anyone is 100% safe from getting infected. (Or if there is, we haven’t found it yet.) Immunity is also variable. The strength and durability of your protection depends on your age, health, immune function and numerous other factors.
But there is good news. Each vaccine dose and brush with COVID-19 adds another layer of protection. Vaccines and infections also trigger the immune system in slightly different but complementary ways—so someone who has experienced both may have a more robust set of defenses than someone who has either only been vaccinated or infected.
Experts don’t know exactly how long this dual protection prevents you from getting reinfected. But Dr. Abinash Virk, an infectious disease physician at the Mayo Clinic, says immunity seems to be strongest shortly after a breakthrough infection. “We think you will be protected for at least three to six months after your infection,” she says.
You can be pretty confident that you won’t get sick—and thus won’t sicken others—during this window of time, which makes it safer to do many activities. But keep in mind that COVID-19 is still everywhere. No matter how protected you may be, you should limit exposure to sick people, stay home if you have symptoms and heed guidelines from local health officials.
More than 342 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 5 a.m. E.T. today, and nearly 5.6 million people have died. On Jan. 20, there were over 3.1 million new cases and 8,300 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending, in terms of cases:
And in terms of deaths:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here's every country that has reported over 5 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded more than 69.3 million coronavirus cases as of 5 a.m. E.T. today. More than 860,000 people have died. On Jan. 20, there were 644,774 new cases and 2,479 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending in terms of cases:
And in terms of deaths:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Jan. 21, 12 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
New data should encourage anyone who hasn’t yet been boosted to get an extra dose. Booster shots are 90% effective at preventing hospitalization with the Omicron variant, according to new findings from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Extra doses are particularly beneficial for adults older than 50, who are generally at higher risk of severe outcomes than younger people. As of December 2021, hospitalization rates among unvaccinated adults ages 50 and older have been at least 44 times higher than among vaccinated and boosted adults in the same age group, according to the CDC.
Omicron is still burning its way through the U.S., buthospital admissions are dropping, suggesting that this wave may have peaked in some areas. Still, the progress isn’t uniform. Much of the downturn is driven by improvements in early Omicron hotspots in the Northeast. While that’s helping to bring down national hospitalization numbers, as the New York Times illustrates, admissions are still climbing in much of the West and Midwest—and likely will for a few more weeks.
Some U.S. children and teenagers who want to be vaccinated against COVID-19 have been unable to get shots without a parent’s permission. A newly introduced bill in California would change that by allowing any child 12 or older to get vaccinated without parental consent, Politico reports. If passed, that standard would apply not just to COVID-19 vaccines, but to any shot approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and recommended by the CDC. Several other states, including Rhode Island, Oregon and Alabama, already allow minors of some ages to get vaccinated without parental consent.
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for large employers (besides most medical facilities). Somecompanies, like the apparel company Carhartt, are keeping their vaccine requirements in place anyway, despite pushback from employees and customers, the Wall Street Journalreports. Carhartt, which employs about 5,500 people, told workers that the court’s ruling does not affect its “core value” of workplace safety—a decision that has prompted some social media users to say they will stop buying the brand's goods. Other big companies, including Citi and United Airlines, also continue to stand by their vaccine policies, according to the Journal.
Omicron is breaking case records around the world. But some Pacific Island nations, including Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati, currently have no active cases of COVID-19. As other aspiring “zero COVID” countries like China and Australia have learned, however, it’s virtually impossible to maintain that status. Many Pacific Island economies rely on tourism, meaning they’ll have to abandon the strict border closures that have allowed them to contain the virus so far, CNBC reports.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Jamie Ducharme and edited by Mandy Oaklander.
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