Mutated virus may reinfect people already stricken once with COVID-19, sparking debate and concerns

Researchers evaluating the Novavax vaccine have discovered that trial participants who survived coronavirus seemingly are no less vulnerable to infection from a highly contagious variant. The mutation, first seen in South Africa and now dominant there, is only just beginning to emerge in the United States, with three states so far reporting cases. Still, the finding blows the lid off the theory that people who already had coronavirus are immune and boosts the argument for mass vaccination, even among those who beat an earlier infection. “The data really are quite suggestive: The level of immunity that you get from natural infection—either the degree of immunity, the intensity of the immunity or the breadth of immunity—is obviously not enough to protect against infection with the mutant,” said Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The South African arm of the Novavax study, presented recently at the New York Academy of Sciences, also found that two injections of the vaccine also did not protect against the strain. Despite the setback, many scientists remain optimistic, noting the lack of evidence that repeat coronavirus cases are more severe or deadly, are associated with grave health consequences, or even that they are a common occurrence.