Health Tip of the Week, sponsored by Baton Rouge General: Can I get COVID more than once?

With the highly contagious Delta variant now making up the majority of COVID-19 cases, many people who had COVID-19 before are wondering if they can get it again.

A virus can mutate in a way that makes it stronger or easier to spread. That’s what happened with the Delta variant. This variant still has a lot in common with previous variants. So if you’ve had COVID-19 or the vaccine, the antibodies you have aren’t completely useless. However, they may not be able to fight this variant as effectively as they would the previous one, resulting in re-infection, and (for some people) getting sick enough to be hospitalized. Getting vaccinated is your best protection, even for those who have had COVID-19.

Learn more about the Delta variant and re-infection