Health

Is COVID reinfection harmful? Dr. Mallika Marshall answers your questions

By Mallika Marshall, MD

February 23, 2023 / 6:37 PM EST / CBS Boston

Is COVID reinfection harmful?

BOSTON - Dr. Mallika Marshall is answering your medical questions. If you have a question, email her or message her on Facebook or Twitter.

Dr. Mallika is offering her best advice, but as always, consult your personal doctor before making any decisions about your personal health.

Karen asks, "Is it harmful to keep getting Covid? I had Covid in October and then again in February. I've had all my vaccines and boosters. All infections were very mild."

I'm so glad you've had only mild symptoms each time and nothing more. And you're not alone. More and more people are experiencing their second, third, or even fourth bout of COVID-19. That's because while the boosters help keep people out of the hospital and from dying, protection from reinfection generated from the shots or COVID-19 itself wanes over time.

And it's still a good idea to try to avoid reinfection as much as possible because having COVID-19 more than once could increase your risk of heart, lung, and kidney problems as well as long COVID symptoms.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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