Gim Hyerin, Lee Seul, Seo Haesook, Park Yumi, Chun Byung Chul
Infectious Disease Research Center, Citizens' Health Bureau, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul 04524, Republic of Korea.
Department of Epidemiology & Health Informatics, Graduate School of Public Health, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
Vaccines (Basel). 2023 Aug 23;11(9):1408. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11091408.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease that is characterized by frequent reinfection. However, the factors influencing reinfection remain poorly elucidated, particularly regarding the effect of COVID-19 vaccination on preventing reinfection and its effects on symptomatology and the interval until reinfection.
This retrospective cohort study examined patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus reinfection between January 2020 and February 2022. This study included patients aged >17 years who were reinfected at least 90 days between two infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. The main outcome measure was a reduction in symptoms during reinfection, and reinfection interval.
Overall, 712 patients (average age: 40.52 ± 16.41 years; 312 males) were included. The reduction rate of symptoms at reinfection than that at first infection was significantly higher in the vaccinated group than in the unvaccinated group ( < 0.001). The average reinfection interval was 265.81 days. The interval between the first and second infection was 63.47 days longer in the vaccinated group than in the unvaccinated group. The interval was also 57.23 days, significantly longer in the asymptomatic group than in the symptomatic group ( < 0.001).
Besides its role in preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection, vaccination reduces the rate of symptomatic reinfection and increases the reinfection interval; thus, it is necessary to be vaccinated even after a previous infection. The findings may inform the decision to avail COVID-19 vaccination.
2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）是一种以频繁再次感染为特征的疾病。然而，影响再次感染的因素仍未得到充分阐明，特别是关于COVID-19疫苗接种对预防再次感染的作用及其对症状学和再次感染间隔时间的影响。
这项回顾性队列研究对2020年1月至2022年2月间感染严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒后再次感染的患者进行了检查。该研究纳入了年龄大于17岁、在两次严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒感染之间至少间隔90天再次感染的患者。主要观察指标是再次感染期间症状的减轻情况以及再次感染间隔时间。
总体而言，共纳入712例患者（平均年龄：40.52±16.41岁；男性312例）。接种疫苗组再次感染时症状的减轻率显著高于未接种疫苗组（<0.001）。平均再次感染间隔时间为265.81天。接种疫苗组第一次和第二次感染之间的间隔时间比未接种疫苗组长63.47天。无症状组的间隔时间也比有症状组长57.23天，差异有统计学意义（<0.001）。
除了预防严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒感染的作用外，疫苗接种还可降低有症状再次感染的发生率并延长再次感染间隔时间；因此，即使之前感染过也有必要接种疫苗。这些发现可能为是否接种COVID-19疫苗的决策提供参考。
