The majority of people who have had Covid-19 are protected from getting it again for at least six months, a study published on Wednesday showed, but older people are more prone to reinfection than younger people. The study, appearing in the Lancet medical journal, found that just 0.65 per cent of patients tested positive a second time for Covid-19 after previously being infected during Denmark’s first and second waves. However, the study found that people over the age of 65 had only 47 per cent protection against repeat infection, compared with 80 per cent protection for younger people. “Our study confirms what a number of others appeared to suggest: reinfection with Covid-19 is rare in younger, healthy people, but the elderly are at greater risk of catching it again,” said Steen Ethelberg of Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut. Commenting on the results, Imperial College London professors Rosemary Boyton and Danny Altmann, said the results showed lower protection and were “more concerning” than previous studies.

Source: The Irish Times March 18, 2021 09:00 UTC