Over the last two years, SARS-CoV-2 has slowly mutated, allowing it to evade the immune system enough to infect people multiple times. As most people have had COVID already, it’s no surprise that plenty of people are catching the virus for a second or even a third time. However, a recent study suggests that symptoms of reinfections with COVID are worse than those of initial infections. 

For a start, the group studied in the trial was already at higher risk of experiencing worse outcomes compared with the overall population. The study data included any symptoms or health problems that occurred within the study period, including acute, hence, making reinfections appear worse. This study caused somewhat of a stir because the researchers expected the opposite – that each subsequent infection would tend to cause less severe symptoms than an initial infection, or at least very little change. Meanwhile, one exception found in the study was dengue fever where the immune system could make antibodies that aid reinfection, making symptoms worse in some cases. 

With COVID, studies on reinfections tend to look at deaths and hospitalizations, as these are easier to measure than symptoms. In general, they find that reinfections are less severe than initial infections. It is plausible that some people might experience worse symptoms from reinfection compared with initial infection. 

(Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/health/covid-reinfection-are-you-likely-to-feel-better-or-worse-than-first-time-101656591141412.html)