A doctor has recently addressed why it seems like some people keep catching Covid while others seem to avoid it.
Dr Alan Stout, a leading GP, was prompted by Labour Leader Keir Starmer announcement that he has been reinfected with Covid after catching it previously in October.
Keir has had to isolate 6 times since the pandemic began because of contact with infected people.
READ MORE: London Covid: NHS 'collapsing' in London even as cases decline, expert warns
Dr Alan Stout, chair of the British Medical Association's GP committee in Northern Ireland, told Belfast Live that people "can absolutely get Covid twice".
Dr Stout told Belfast Live : "The vast majority of people we're seeing in the daily figures will have had some sort of previous infection.
"Keir Starmer is a good example as what he will have now is almost certainly the Omicron variant and previously, he may well have had the Delta or Alpha variant.
"One of the difficulties with the variants is that having one of the previous ones doesn't necessarily protect you from the next. That has become quite clear as the previous Delta infection we know now gives you virtually no protection or natural immunity from Omicron.
"That's the simplest reason why people are contracting Covid twice - it's down to the different variants."
While cases of people catching Covid-19 more than once have been reported throughout the pandemic, concern is growing as immunity wanes and new variants emerge.
Dr Stout added: "That's why the booster has been so important for Omicron because we've known that the level of immunity given by the first two vaccine doses has started to wane.
"Hence the booster was giving that extra level of protection but it was actually giving protection above and beyond, which is then preventing people getting Omicron or certainly becoming seriously unwell with it."
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But Dr Stout said research around reinfections is still in its infancy.
"That's one of the things we're learning as we go along and yet there is quite a lot of data and evidence around what protection people have, which then helps with the planning in terms of vaccination.
"One of the big things we don't know is around any next variant. Equally while we know there will definitely be more variants, whether we get a more severe one or they become less and less severe with time and evolution is another significant possibility."
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"avoid it" - Google News
January 11, 2022 at 12:48AM
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UK Covid: Expert explains why some people keep catching virus while others avoid it entirely - My London
"avoid it" - Google News
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