Can You Get COVID-19 Back-to-Back? Yes, Here’s When and Why

COVID-19 is here to stay. You or a loved one may have gotten sick with COVID once or even several times. COVID vaccination is the best protection against COVID illness. Breakthrough infections are still possible, even if you’ve gotten your COVID vaccine. 

Getting COVID a second (or third or fourth) time is called COVID reinfection. COVID reinfection can happen within several months so it can feel like you have COVID back-to-back. Here’s what to know about how common it is to get multiple COVID illnesses in quick succession. 

How soon can you get COVID again after recovering?

You develop immunity to the COVID virus after a COVID illness. But that immunity only lasts for a few months and is strongest against the COVID variant that you got sick with.

In the past, new variants of COVID were constantly emerging. So people were more likely to get sick with COVID back-to-back because their previous illness may not have given them strong enough immunity to new variants. Right now, almost all cases of COVID in the U.S. are caused by the omicron variant. 

But people are still at risk for reinfection. In fact, studies suggest that people are at higher risk for reinfection now that omicron is the dominant variant. That’s because omicron can cause breakthrough infections in people who are up-to-date with their COVID vaccine. Also omicron variants pass easily from person to person, making them more infectious. And omicron variants can also bypass your body’s natural immune response to prior COVID illness.

Data shows that the time between COVID infections ranges from 90 to 650 days, with most reinfections happening after 1 year. But experts at the CDC warn that it’s possible to get another COVID infection in as little as “several weeks” after a previous COVID illness. Experts note that this isn’t common. 

Can you get COVID twice in a month?

This is very unlikely, but in theory it’s possible. People at highest risk for getting a reinfection so quickly are those who have health conditions that weaken their immune system. 

If you get COVID twice, are the symptoms the same? 

Like most things about COVID, scientists are still learning more about what happens when you get reinfected. In the past, studies showed that people who are reinfected tend to have milder symptoms than they had with their first infection. And some people may have no symptoms at all with reinfection. 

But a November 2022 study of patients at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs suggests that each reinfection increases the risk of severe illness, both in the short and long term. 

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And a 2024 study noted that people who got sick with COVID within 3 years of their first COVID illness had similar rates of severe COVID illness. That means people who experienced severe symptoms the first time they had COVID were likely to develop severe symptoms when they got COVID again. And the reverse was also true: People who only experienced mild symptoms with their first COVID illness were more likely to report mild symptoms with COVID reinfections. 

More research is needed to understand exactly how reinfections affect disease severity and risk of long COVID.

If you’re not vaccinated, are you at higher risk of getting COVID twice?

The COVID vaccines prevent COVID infections. And if you already had COVID, getting vaccinated helps prevent COVID reinfection too. 

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The CDC recommends getting the COVID vaccine even if you’ve had COVID. That’s because getting vaccinated creates a stronger immune response than natural immunity (infection and reinfection). 

Getting vaccinated can also help protect other vulnerable people who might not be fully protected from a COVID vaccine. By being vaccinated yourself, you’re less likely to spread COVID to others. 

You should be fully recovered from your COVID infection before getting the vaccine. 

Are new strains of COVID resistant to the current vaccines?

Omicron variants account for nearly all the COVID cases in the U.S. It’s important to stay up-to-date with your COVID vaccine because the vaccine is adjusted to protect against omicron variants. 

COVID vaccines lower your risk of developing severe COVID illness. But breakthrough infections are possible. But if you do get a COVID infection, studies show you’re much less likely to develop symptoms if you’re up-to-date with your COVID vaccine.

How to prevent COVID reinfection

Preventing COVID reinfection is just as important as preventing the first infection. Reinfection can lead to serious illness for yourself and for others who may have weakened immune systems. 

To prevent reinfection with COVID, continue to:

• Stay up-to-date on your COVID-19 vaccines.

• Wear a face mask in crowded places, especially if indoors.

• Avoid close contact with people who might have COVID.

• Wash your hands multiple times a day.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth (especially with unwashed hands).

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Michael Dreis, MD

Dr. Dreis is an emergency medicine physician currently practicing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He went to medical school at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and completed his residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.

Edited by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

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