COVID-19 Reinfection Is More Common in Older People, Study Says

COVID-19 Reinfection Is More Common in Older People, Study Says.

A study published in medical journal ‘The Lancet’ has found that older people are more prone to COVID-19 reinfection.

The data used was drawn from Denmark’s national testing strategy, which saw four million people tested for COVID-19 over the course of 2020.

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Overall, COVID-19 reinfection was found to be a rare occurrence in the population.

Only .65 percent of patients tested positive a second time after previously being infected during Denmark’s initial COVID-19 waves.

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However, the study made an alarming discovery regarding protection against reinfection among various age groups.

People over 65 years old were found to have only 46 percent protection against reinfection.

This is in comparison to younger people who were found to have 80 percent protection.

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Steen Ethelberg of Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut says the study “makes clear” how important it is to establish policies that protect the elderly.

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Since older people are also more likely to experience severe disease symptoms, and sadly die, our findings make clear how important it is to implement policies to protect the elderly during the pandemic, Steen Ethelberg, via Reuters