June 1, 2021

Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection 1 Year After Primary Infection in a Population in Lombardy, Italy

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Vaccines and Immunity

Keywords (Tags): immunity, re-infection

• Individuals with known prior SARS-CoV-2 infection had a 93% lower incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the following year, according to a cohort study in Italy from February 2020 to February 2021. During a mean follow-up of 280 days, 5 reinfections occurred in 1,579 patients with a prior positive PCR test (mean interval between infections >230 days) compared to 528 new infections in 13,496 patients with negative PCR test results. Only 1 reinfection resulted in hospitalization. The authors note that the observation window ended before variants of concern began to spread in Italy.

Vitale et al. (May 28, 2021). Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection 1 Year After Primary Infection in a Population in Lombardy, Italy. JAMA Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.2959