Two or More COVID Infections Linked To Fivefold Higher Odds of Respiratory Diagnosis, Canadian Study Finds

Canadian study finds adults reinfected with COVID-19 face a fivefold higher risk of new respiratory illness, underscoring long-term health impacts of repeated infections (Credit: Magnific)

Adults who reported having COVID-19 two or more times had about five times the odds of being diagnosed with a new respiratory condition compared with those who reported no infections, according to a Canadian government study. The research adds to evidence that repeated SARS-CoV-2 infections are associated with newly diagnosed health conditions.

The study, published this week in the Canada Communicable Disease Report, was carried out by researchers from the Public Health Agency of Canada and Statistics Canada. It analysed data from 8,809 adults who took part in the Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey and its follow-up questionnaire between April 2022 and June 2023.