Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39916599›Full record

ArticleEpidemiology and infection2025

Characteristics and risk factors associated with COVID-19 reinfection in Hong Kong: a retrospective cohort study.

Wenhua Lin, Kin Hang Kung, Chung Lam Chan, Shuk Kwan Chuang, Ka Wing Au

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Epidemiology and infection, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Wenhua LinCommunicable Disease Branch, Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health, Hong Kong.ORCID 0009-0004-9371-3305
Kin Hang KungCommunicable Disease Branch, Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health, Hong Kong.
Chung Lam ChanCommunicable Disease Branch, Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health, Hong Kong.
Shuk Kwan ChuangCommunicable Disease Branch, Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health, Hong Kong.
Ka Wing AuCommunicable Disease Branch, Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health, Hong Kong.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

We aimed to identify risk factors related to COVID-19 reinfection in Hong Kong. We performed a population-based retrospective cohort study and reviewed case-based data on COVID-19 infections reported to the Centre for Health Protection from 8 January 2020 to 29 January 2023. We analyzed the epidemiology of COVID-19 infections and performed a Cox regression analysis. In this period, 3.32% (103,065/3,106,579) of COVID-19 infections recorded were classified as reinfection. Compared with primarily infected cases, a higher proportion of re-infected cases had chronic diseases (33.54% vs. 27.27%) and were residents of residential care homes (RCH) (10.99% vs. 1.41%). The time interval between the two episodes ranged from 31 to 1,050 days (median 282 days). Cox regression analysis of Omicron cases with the adjustment of covariates showed that being female (Hazard Ratio [HR] 1.12, 95% CI 1.11-1.13), chronic diseases (HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.16-1.20) and RCH residents (HR 6.78, 95% CI 6.61-6.95) were associated with reinfection, while additional vaccination after primary infection was protective (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.79-0.81). Further analytical studies on the risk factors and protectors of COVID-19 reinfection are needed to guide targeted interventions.

Indexed as

COVID-19ReinfectionAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHong KongHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsSARS-CoV-2Young Adultchronic diseaseCOVID-19deathreinfectionrisk factorseverity

Identifiers

PMID39916599
PMCPMC11869080

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.