Vaccines (Mar 2023)

Predictors of Recurrent Laboratory-Confirmed Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections in a Cohort of Healthcare Workers

  • Xóchitl Trujillo,
  • Oliver Mendoza-Cano,
  • Mónica Ríos-Silva,
  • Miguel Huerta,
  • José Guzmán-Esquivel,
  • Verónica Benites-Godínez,
  • Agustin Lugo-Radillo,
  • Jaime Alberto Bricio-Barrios,
  • Martha I. Cárdenas-Rojas,
  • Eder Fernando Ríos-Bracamontes,
  • Vannya Marisol Ortega-Macías,
  • Valeria Ruiz-Montes de Oca,
  • Efrén Murillo-Zamora

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11030626
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 3
p. 626

Abstract

Read online

Background: Repeated SARS-CoV-2 infections are plausible and related published data are scarce. We aimed to identify factors associated with the risk of recurrent (three episodes) laboratory-confirmed symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, and 1,700 healthcare workers were enrolled. We used risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to evaluate the factors associated with symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections. Results: We identified 14 participants with recurrent illness episodes. Therefore, the incidence rate was 8.5 per 10,000 person months. In a multiple-model study, vaccinated adults (vs. unvaccinated, RR = 1.05 [1.03–1.06]) and those with a severe first illness episode (vs. mild disease, RR = 1.05 [1.01–1.10]) were at increased risk for repeated symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 reinfections. Increasing age showed a protective effect (per each additional year of age: RR = 0.98 [0.97–0.99]). Conclusions: Our results suggest that recurrent SARS-CoV-2 infections are rare events in adults, and they seem to be determined, partially, by vaccination status and age.

Keywords