The guidance for this group is the same as it is for everybody else largely because immunity by infection is protective, but only to an extent. BA.5, for one, seems to be able to reinfect people who were previously sick, sometimes even those who just a few months ago had an earlier version of Omicron. At this point, an infection from a year ago, let alone two, might not mean much immunologically. “People shouldn’t rely on prior infection, because it just is not as effective as prior vaccination,” Kim-Farley said. And though “hybrid immunity”—which results when a person gets sick and is then vaccinated, or vice versa—is thought to confer a good amount of protection, “that kind of assertion may be challenged” now that so many reinfections are occurring, the Yale epidemiologist Albert Ko told me.

The ultimate problem with people viewing themselves as sitting ducks is that this is the exact attitude epidemiologists do not want us to have. It can foster a “why bother?” demeanor, negating all public-health efforts to stop transmission and discouraging personal efforts to protect oneself. In other words, it promotes COVID fatalism, which is appealing because it offers relief from the daily anxiety and behavioral compromises of pandemic life by assuming that an infection is a question of when, not if. This notion can be liberating for those who have never gotten infected—and presumably it is part of the reason so few are left: Many people have already adopted a “meh” attitude toward COVID, not letting the fear of an infection get in the way of living their lives.

Even this late in the game, you should really try to avoid getting COVID if you can. Having to take precautions can be frustrating after so many months of pandemic life, but getting sick can be extremely unpleasant, even if you are vaccinated and boosted. There’s the risk of long COVID, yes, but those who escape it can still feel terrible for several days, if not weeks, Bright said. These infections don’t usually lead to hospitalization or death, but they’re no walk in the park either, especially for the elderly and the immunocompromised. And as COVID continues to mutate, you definitely want to forestall a second infection, or a third down the line. The consequences of repeated infections and their potential to cause long COVID or other health issues are not yet known. And, of course, the tenets of COVID 101 are still true: Even if your infection is mild, you can still spread it to someone who could have it much worse.