Florida

Can you get COVID-19 more than once? ‘Jury is out,’ doctor says

The coronavirus pandemic has been on people’s minds for weeks and, by now, most people know it’s best to stay home and social distance.

As doctors continue to test and study the virus, Eyewitness News wanted to know if someone gets a positive test and recovers, can they get it again?

“The jury is out on this one,” Dr. Candice Jones said. “We just have to wait and see, and it may differ depending on the severity of your illness.”

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Jones said there is a debate among some coronavirus researchers who say that the immune system works, so we do develop some level of immunity after we get an infection.

“On the other hand, some researchers are saying, ‘Wait a minute, some cases are asymptomatic, some cases are mild.’ So, it may behave more like the other coronaviruses that cause more common-cold symptoms,” Jones said. “We get some immunity, but it decreases over time, leaving us vulnerable for re-infection.”

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Jones also said it’s important to remember that not every symptom you experience is the coronavirus -- we are still seeing many flu cases, and the pollen count for allergies is an all-time high in Central Florida.


Adam Poulisse, WFTV.com

Adam Poulisse joined WFTV in November 2019.