The risks of contracting Covid-19 again would increase considerably because of the Omicron variant. This is suggested by a study by South African scientists.
- The Omicron variant, which is now circulating in at least 23 countries, could likely evade antibodies that target the Delta variant and those developed after vaccination.
- The risk of contracting Covid-19 again would be three times higher compared to the waves linked to the Beta and Delta strains.
- The South African strain could lead to less severe forms than the Delta variant.
He worries the authorities, to the point that in France a meeting of the defense council is scheduled for Monday with perhaps the announcement of new restrictions. The Omicron variant, also called “B.1.1.529”, was first identified in South Africa on November 24. This strain of Covid-19 is now circulating in at least 23 countries, including 9 cases recorded to date in our country. If the Omicron variant is currently at the center of concern, it is because of its exceptionally high number of mutations. Clearly, these could allow the virus to repeatedly infect the same person with a failing immune system.
“It is believed that the only way the virus has acquired so many mutations is if it has been in a closed environment for a long time, probably the body of someone who has had a long-term infection”explained, to Science and Future, virologist Jinal Bhiman of the South African Institute for Infectious Diseases (NCID). The specialist revealed that the Omicron variant could probably escape the antibodies that target the Delta variant and those developed after vaccination. She indicated that, for the time being, it was still too early to determine the virulence of this South African strain.
An increased risk of reinfection
The Omicron variant is included in the list of strains “of concern” drawn up by the World Health Organization (WHO). “Early evidence suggests it has an increased risk of reinfection compared to other variants of concern,” the organization said in a November 26 statement. A study, published on the medRxiv pre-publication site on December 2, also demonstrated that the Omicron variant would increase the risk of reinfection.
This research, carried out by South African researchers, is based on an analysis of 35,670 reinfections identified in nearly 2.8 million people who tested positive in South Africa. Juliet Pulliam, of the University of South Africa’s Stellenbosch, and lead author of the study, said on Twitter that the scientists had no information regarding the vaccination status of these patients.
The researchers found that the Omicron variant was associated with an increased risk of reinfection. “The estimated hazard ratio for reinfection compared to first contamination for the period from November 1, 2021 to November 27, 2021 was 2.39”, can we read in the works. Clearly, the risk of contracting Covid-19 again would be almost three times higher compared to the waves linked to the Beta and Delta strains. “The Omicron variant is associated with a substantial ability to evade immunity from prior infection,” concluded the authors of the study which has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Less severe forms
According to virologist Jinal Bhiman, the Omicron variant could, however, lead to less severe forms than the Delta variant, “in which case it might be good news that he replaces him.” According to Anne von Gottberg, infectious disease specialist at the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), patients who contracted Covid-19 again, because of the South African strain, would have less severe symptoms.
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