Identification of Clinical and Genomic Features Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Reinfections
Although SARS-CoV-2 reinfections remain a concern for healthcare systems worldwide, the factors driving them are still not fully understood. In this study, we examined data for 3303 individuals who experienced two SARS-CoV-2 infections between March 2020 and May 2022 from both clinical and viral genomics perspectives. Our findings indicate that viral evolution was the primary driver of reinfection. However, chronic conditions were common among reinfected individuals, including those under 26 years old, suggesting that the presence of underlying and/or chronic conditions increases susceptibility to reinfection. The median time elapsed between infections was one year, often coinciding with the emergence of new variants. While vaccination showed only a limited protective effect against reinfection, it drastically decreased the hospitalization rate, underscoring its role in mitigating disease severity. Our findings point to the need for more flexible vaccination strategies, especially for individuals with chronic conditions. Understanding the interactions between host factors and viral evolution is critical to strengthening prevention strategies and reducing the burden of reinfections and their possible long-term complications.
Authors
- Père-Joan Cardona (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5623-7873)
- Mariona Parera (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0756-8307)
- Elisa Martró (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2867-6649)
- Marc Noguera-Julián (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6194-1395)
- Sandra Franco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4126-2202)
- Bonaventura Clotet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3232-4598)
- Cristina Casañ
- Francesc Català‐Moll (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2354-8648)
- Lourdes Mateu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7223-7611)
- Álvaro F. García-Jiménez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9182-5168)
- F Muñoz-López (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1789-1658)
- Ana Blanco-Suárez
- David Panisello Yagüe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0546-7016)
- Verónica Saludes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2139-3360)
- Antoni E. Bordoy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1165-542X)
- Marta Massanella (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3326-151X)
- Ignacio Blanco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7414-7481)
- Roger Paredes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6553-691X)
- José Ramón Santos
Institutions
- Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya (ES)
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES)
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES)
- IrsiCaixa (ES)
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (ES)
- Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (ES)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (ES)
- Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol (ES)
- Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol (ES)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (ES)
- Fundació Lluita contra les Infeccions (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Viruses
- Published
- 2025-06-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/v17060840
- Primary Topic
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Centres de Recerca de Catalunya
- Generalitat de Catalunya
- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
- Institut Català de la Salut
- Departament de Salut, Generalitat de Catalunya
- Agencia Estatal de Investigación