The greatest protection against reinfection seems to be offered by hybrid immunity with vaccination plus infection, per Pilz and colleagues. As such, this patient should be advised to stay up to date with their COVID-19 booster shots.
Acquired immunity seems to be less protective against recent strains of COVID-19. A national database study in Qatar estimated that previous infection prevented reinfection with the Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), and Delta (B.1.617.2) variants with 90%, 86%, and 92% effectiveness, respectively. However, this protective effect was only 56% against reinfection with Omicron (B.1.1.529).
Editor's Note: Skill Checkups are wholly fictional or fictionalized clinical scenarios intended to provide evidence-based educational takeaways.
The information in this quiz is current as of November 7, 2022. For the most recent COVID information, see https://www.medscape.com/resource/coronavirus
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Cite this: Enrico Brunetti. Skill Checkup: A 70-Year-Old Man With Loss of Smell, Dry Cough, and Headache - Medscape - Nov 07, 2022.
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