JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The COVID-19 vaccine is a beacon of hope in the fight against the virus.
However, until it becomes widely available, doctors are reminding the public that it’s possible to contract the virus more than once.
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That’s what happened to Val Jordan White, who spoke to News4Jax on Monday.
“It was like finding out you’re pregnant at 66,” she said, recalling the first positive test result. “We got through that and there were about three weeks that I was recovering, feeling great, back exercising, and then I started feeling bad again.”
After being retested weeks after her first diagnosis, she had a negative result. Therefore, she believed the symptoms she was experiencing had to be from something else.
“I called the doctor and they sent me to the emergency room. They did everything blood work, chest X-ray, and they came back in and said everything checks out but you’re positive for corona,” explained White.
Dr. Saman Soleymani, president of Avecina Medical, said that while it’s rare, he’s had two patients that have tested positive for the virus twice.
“We know that antibodies decline over time,” Soleymani said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Having antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19 may provide protection from getting infected with the virus again. But even if it does, we do not know how much protection the antibodies may provide or how long this protection may last.”
“This is why the antibody levels that you get with the vaccine are even higher than when you have the disease,” Soleymani said.
That’s why the CDC says that even if you’ve had COVID-19 or eventually get the vaccine, it is still important to wear your mask, keep 6-feet apart and wash your hands.