i understand that your body won't necessarily recognize these new variants, if you've already caught and defeated a previous variant. i was possibly even the person that told you that months ago, as i was pointing out that you can't get sick from the same virus twice - unless it mutates, first. and, now it has.
but, many have speculated that a previous infection may increase the chances of survival if it is caught in mutated form at some point in the future, and i was wondering if we had data for that yet - and apparently do not.
but, i suspect, in the end, that we will learn this is true: while a previous infection is not immunity against a new variant, it certainly tilts the playing field. and, as these variants potentially become more concerning than the common cold, which was about the danger level of the first variant, this fact should strike you as enraging.
for, i suspect i already caught this a long time ago, and, if i didn't, it wasn't due to lack of trying. what should you tell the wife of a man who avoided the initial variants like the plague, only to catch a more deadly variant, with no prior immunity from the less deadly strains? that man might have functionally vaccinated himself by catching the less deadly variant, while he could, had the government not prevented him from doing so. but, now it is too late.
these things are never simple, and one-approach-for-all rarely works. if the intent was to eradicate this virus, you should have given up on that months ago - and should be called out as a laughingstock should you bring it up, now. and, once that was clear, these different approaches should have been considered, based on different risk factors.
are these new variants deadly enough that i should be concerned about them? the preliminary data still suggests "no", but the certainty level is a lot lower. and, while i wish i had access to an antibody test so i knew for sure, i do hope i have the benefit of previous exposure, in spite of the state's behaviour, rather than because of it.