Will you be positive again after having had a positive test? Here is the professional answer

The pathogenicity of Omicron is weakening, and most people who are infected are asymptomatic or mild. Is coughing and fever considered as asymptomatic? Will you be positive again after testing positive once? Experts from the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council have provided professional answers to hot issues of public concern.
1. Question: If a person who is infected with the new coronavirus only has a cough and fever, is it considered asymptomatic?
A: If the positive infected person only has a cough and fever, but no lung infection, it can be classified as a mild case, but it is not considered asymptomatic. According to the current national case data, asymptomatic and mild cases after infection with Omicron account for more than 90%.
According to the current definition, asymptomatic infections refer to those who test positive for the novel coronavirus pathogen but have no relevant clinical manifestations, such as fever, dry cough, fatigue, sore throat, decreased sense of smell (taste), diarrhea, and other self-perceived or clinically identifiable symptoms and signs, and who have no imaging features of novel coronavirus pneumonia on CT imaging.
Mild patients may show symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection such as low-to-moderate fever, dry throat, sore throat, nasal congestion, runny nose, as well as fatigue, olfactory (taste) disorders, but no symptoms of pneumonia.
2. Question: Can you test positive again after testing positive once? How long does it take for a second infection to occur?
A: After being infected with the new coronavirus once, the immunity formed by the human body will play a certain protective role. However, Omicron may quickly mutate into new sub-branches with stronger immune escape ability, and recovered people cannot completely avoid secondary infection.
However, foreign statistics show that after being infected with Omicron, regardless of whether there are symptoms or not, the probability of a second infection within 3 to 6 months is quite low, and most people will not be reinfected with Omicron for a considerable period of time.
For individuals, the best way during the epidemic is still to implement protective measures, including wearing masks, paying attention to hand hygiene, maintaining social distance, etc., and actively getting vaccinated against the new coronavirus to reduce the risk of infection.
3. Question: Will repeated infection make the symptoms worse?
A: There is no definitive conclusion that repeated infection will lead to more serious clinical consequences. Judging from the current cases, even if some patients have a tendency to have worsening symptoms when they are repeatedly infected, the proportion is very low. The pathogenicity of the Omicron virus is weakening, and the probability of severe illness is very low whether it is the first infection or reinfection.

Source: Xinhua News Agency