Can You Get COVID Twice?

Written by Kim Painter, Matt McMillen
Medically Reviewed by Jabeen Begum, MD on June 02, 2026

If you’ve had COVID-19, you probably know the drill: the tests, the treatment choices, the days of social isolation and masking, the concerns about whether you'll fully recover, and the relief you felt when your symptoms finally subsided.

But now you have chills, a fever, a scratchy throat, and a runny nose. Could you have COVID again?

Yes. Research shows you can get COVID multiple times.

“COVID reinfection is almost an unavoidable factor of life at this point,” says hospital medicine specialist Thomas Gut, DO, associate chair of medicine at Staten Island University Hospital in Staten Island, New York, and former director of the hospital's COVID center.

A quick note: we're talking about getting COVID and then getting it again. That's reinfection. Some people get COVID and then have new, returning, or ongoing health problems for weeks, months, or years after their infection clears. That's something else, called long COVID. The World Health Organization estimates that 6 out of every 100 people who get COVID-19 will get long COVID.

But they are related in one way: research suggests that every time you get COVID, you face a new risk of getting long COVID. That's just one reason to care about whether you get COVID again and again.

But COVID-19 reinfection and long COVID are related in one significant way: According to the CDC, every time you get COVID-19, you face an increased risk of getting long COVID. Recent research shows that kids who get reinfected are particularly likely to develop long COVID. That's just one reason to care about whether you get COVID again and again.

Here’s everything you need to know about COVID-19 reinfection.

Once you've had COVID, you will get some protection against the virus unless you have a compromised immune system. In such cases, you may have little or no protection against infection. Whatever protection you do develop, it will not last long.

“People often assume that having survived COVID gives them infinite protection from future cases,” says Gut. “Unfortunately, the data has well established that antibody levels do decline within six months to the point where reinfection becomes possible.”

In rare cases, people can get reinfected within just a few weeks.

How serious are repeat infections?

Repeat infections are usually mild, but some people get very ill. Older adults, people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, and those with weak immune systems appear to be at an increased risk for a severe repeat illness. In general, your protection against severe symptoms lasts longer than your protection against a new infection. And any time you're infected, you can spread the virus to others or develop long COVID.

“Mild reinfections still pose a risk for the individual and people around them as well,” says Gut. “It's been well established that even mild reinfections or even nearly asymptomatic infections can pose risk of long-COVID syndrome.”

Another thing to keep in mind: Research suggests that if you had a severe case of COVID the first time, you’re likely to have a severe case if you get reinfected. But what if you had a mild case previously?

“The idea that having a mild case predicts future milder cases does not hold true based on our known pool of data,” says Gut. 

Are repeat COVID infections contagious?

Even if you stay up to date with COVID vaccines, it’s possible to get reinfected and spread the virus. However, you're less likely to have serious symptoms, be hospitalized, or die from COVID. Remember, though, the vaccine’s protection, like that from your last infection, doesn't last forever.

“People that have immunity from previous infection and vaccination combined tend to be best protected from reinfection, but even that tends to decline after a year,” says Gut.

When the coronavirus gets past your vaccine immunity and causes infection, doctors call it a “breakthrough infection.” In the United States, researchers estimate that anywhere from 2% to 12% of COVID cases are breakthrough infections.

You can thank your immune system for the partial protection you get naturally after a COVID infection. This system springs into action whenever germs enter your body unless you have a weakened immune system.

Here's how it works:

  • Bacteria and viruses (like the one that causes COVID) have proteins called antigens on their surfaces. Each type of germ has its own unique antigen.
  • White blood cells of your immune system make proteins called antibodies to fight the antigen. Antibodies attach to antigens the way a key fits into a lock, and they destroy the invading germ.
  • When exposed to a virus like COVID, your body makes what are called memory cells. These are a type of disease-fighting white blood cell that will remember that particular virus. If that virus enters your body again, your memory cells will recognize it right away. They then help to quickly rev up your immune system, which produces antibodies to fight it.

But viruses, including COVID-19, can mutate into new strains and variants. That makes it harder for the immune system to recognize the invaders and mount a defense against them. And COVID-19 isn't the only virus you can get repeatedly. The length of protection varies from germ to germ. For example, influenza viruses mutate so much that scientists have to update flu vaccines every year.

Sharing your antibodies 

Since the early stages of the pandemic, researchers have hoped that people who recovered from COVID could use their antibodies to help others through something called COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP). Plasma is the liquid part of the blood. The idea is to give plasma rich in antibodies to people sick with the disease. 

Initial studies of CCP were inconclusive. Experts could not say whether CCP helped. Further research, however, has since shown that CCP can be effective for some people if given before severe symptoms begin. In 2025, the FDA approved a CCP manufactured by OneBlood, a nonprofit blood bank, to treat people with weakened immune systems who are at high risk of severe COVID.

“Although we do have an FDA-approved convalescent plasma treatment option available as of last year, the use is very limited,” says Gut. He says that the antiviral drugs nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) and remdesivir (Veklury) remain the most common first-line options despite recent research that challenges the effectiveness of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir.

You may remember hearing about herd immunity in the early days of COVID. Herd immunity happens when a large part of the population, the herd, has become immune to a virus. This can happen when many people get vaccinated or infected. Herd immunity makes it hard for a virus to spread. When the herd is well-protected, people who've never been sick or vaccinated are less likely to meet up with the virus because they’re exposed to fewer people with the virus. So are people who've already developed some immunity. Ideally, the virus peters out when it becomes unable to find enough people susceptible to it.

The size of the population that needs to be immune to create herd immunity differs. Some viruses are so contagious that they keep spreading even if just a small fraction of the population is vulnerable. That's the case with measles, for example. But herd immunity, created through vaccines, has worked for diseases including smallpox, polio, diphtheria, and rubella.

However, herd immunity for COVID seems unlikely, despite early hopes. The primary reason: the virus continues to mutate, or evolve, into new virus variants and strains. Vaccines developed before such new types of the virus appeared on the scene offer limited protection, as does a previous infection with an older variant of the virus. On top of that, new variants are often simply more aggressive, says Gut.

“Unfortunately, herd immunity for such a rapidly evolving virus will be exceedingly difficult to achieve,” he says. “Since 2020, the virus has evolved in ways that make it more transmissible and less susceptible to previously built immunity. By evolving milder symptoms, the virus has actually improved its ability to spread.”

Low COVID vaccination rates also make herd immunity less likely. In fact, researchers say that hesitancy to get the COVID vaccine has contributed to the rise of new variants. That, in turn, has made vaccines less effective at preventing disease.

Ever since the COVID-19 virus, SARS-CoV-2, began to infect people, it has mutated and created variants. These mutations, or changes in the virus’ genes, can help it get past any defenses you've built up through infection or vaccination. Also, some variants have been more contagious, or easy to spread, than others.

For example, the Delta variant, which was widespread in early to mid-2021, was more contagious than earlier variants from 2020. And the Omicron variants, which first took hold in late 2021, have spread more easily than Delta or the original COVID-19 viruses.

Omicron and COVID-19

Omicron variants have continued to evolve and dominate. If you got COVID-19 in 2022 or 2023, whether it was your first infection or not, it was most likely an Omicron variant. And you can get infected more than once by an Omicron variant. In fact, says Gut, the latest Omicron variant, called Stratus, does a particularly good job of slipping past the protections offered by previous infections. Fortunately, though, there’s some good news.

“The severity of illness has generally shown to be decreasing overall with the newest strains,” says Gut. “Some variants have been as mild as just presenting with a hoarse voice or sore throat, without developing any other further symptoms.”

Remember, though, that even if you have mild symptoms, you still can pass the infection to others.

While Omicron remains the dominant COVID-19 variant, you probably won't know for sure what variant infected you. That's because standard COVID-19 tests don’t identify variants. Doctors usually assume you have one of the variants causing the most infections whenever you get sick. And, says Gut, doctors typically don’t check to determine what caused your COVID-19.

“The number of COVID cases being sequenced is decreasing, so our understanding of pockets of different strains is not as precise as we had previously,” he explains, “but the presence of older strains like Alpha and Delta has not been seen much recently.”

Anyone can get COVID more than once, but some people are at a greater risk. They include:

Unvaccinated people. Studies find that unvaccinated people are twice as likely as vaccinated people to get reinfected with COVID. The studies show that vaccines protect you longer than natural immunity from a previous infection.

Immunocompromised people. If you have a weak immune system, you’re more likely to get COVID again, even if you’re vaccinated and you’ve had the virus before. That’s because the vaccine may not be as effective for you. If you are in this group, talk to your doctor about the best vaccine schedule for you.

People with chronic illnesses. HIV, heart disease, and diabetes all increase the risk of reinfection.

To avoid getting COVID again, follow the same steps that you can take to prevent it in the first place. You should:

  • Stay up to date with COVID vaccines. Pay attention to public health messages about when to get your next dose. This is especially crucial for people with weak immune systems. If you have any questions about when to get vaccinated, talk to your doctor. “The newest vaccines target the Omicron variants to the best of current evidence,” says Gut.
  • Improve ventilation. Keep the air moving in your home or workplace as much as possible. To do that, you can open windows more often, use portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) cleaners, and frequently change the filters on your heating and air conditioning system. Set your system's fan to “on” rather than “auto” to keep air circulating.
  • Move activities outdoors. COVID spreads most easily in crowded indoor settings. So it can help to move group activities outdoors, especially when there's a lot of COVID in your community. “Outdoor events and well-ventilated spaces pose a lower risk for those at risk,” says Gut.
  • Wash your hands often. “Frequent hand washing has classically been a great way to reduce the risk of spread,” says Gut.
  • Avoid contact with infected people. If you know someone has COVID, it's best to stay away until they are less likely to spread the virus, which is at least five days under CDC guidelines. If that's not possible, wear a mask, frequently wash your hands, and try to improve airflow.
  • Ask your doctor about ensitrelvir (Xocova) if you've been exposed to COVID-19. Adults and children 12 and older may be able to take this prescription antiviral pill to lower their risk of getting COVID-19.

If there are a lot of people infected with COVID-19 in your area or you are at high risk for COVID complications, you can get extra protection by:

  • Wear a high-quality mask or respirator, such as an N-95 model. It should fit closely over your mouth and nose.
  • Avoiding crowds and keeping some distance between yourself and others in public.

Right now, there's no reliable test that can tell you if you are immune to a new COVID infection. You might think that antibody tests would fit that bill. But they don't.

It's true that you can get a test that tells you whether you have antibodies to the virus because of vaccination or a previous COVID infection. (One thing to know: it can take days to weeks after infection for antibodies to show up on these tests.)

But antibody tests can't tell you whether you have immunity, whether a vaccine worked, or when you need another vaccine dose, according to the FDA. For one thing, your immune system doesn't rely on antibodies alone to fight infection. Also, the tests might miss the kind of antibodies created by vaccination.

Some researchers are actively studying whether measuring the levels of COVID antibodies can help predict a person’s risk of infection as well as reinfection.

Antibody tests have some uses: For example, some people with COVID complications might need these tests to confirm they had the virus. Also, scientists can use them to estimate levels of COVID immunity in a community.

Can you get COVID-19 back to back?

Yes. While it’s rare to get COVID again right after a previous infection, the CDC says it’s possible to get infected with the virus within a few weeks of a previous infection. 

How soon can you be reinfected with COVID-19?

For most people, a previous COVID infection will offer protection from infection for about six months. After that, your antibody levels will have dropped to the point that reinfection becomes possible. The COVID vaccine also offers temporary protection from reinfection. Combined, the protection provided by previous infection and the vaccine should last about a year. People with compromised immune systems typically get little or no protection from a previous infection. If you have a weakened immune system, your doctor may recommend additional doses of the COVID vaccine.

How long do you have immunity after COVID-19?

Typically, immunity from COVID lasts six months following infection. However, if you have a weakened immune system, you may get little or no immunity from future infections.

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