It’s a myth that you can only get COVID-19 once

MASON CITY — One of the misconceptions about COVID-19 is that once you’ve had it you can never get it again.

Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health director Brian Hanft says even if you’ve had it before, you aren’t immune forever.   “I just heard about a person who got it for the second time, so that’s not true. You can get it a second time, and often the second time can be worse. What I would tell people is just because you’ve had it does not mean you should be complacent.”

Hanft says if you’ve had COVID you should still get the vaccine, but if you’ve had it recently, you may want to wait a little longer.   “Just because you’ve had it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get the vaccine. Now if you’ve recently had it, you can probably wait 60 days, even 90 days, then start trying to get it, let some of these other people get in if it’s your age group. Otherwise, just because you’ve had it, you definitely should get the vaccine.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says even if you’ve recently had COVID-19, you still need to wear a mask in public places, stay six feet away from other people, wash your hands frequently and avoid crowds and confined spaces.