Re-infection risk again rises as the cases of Omicron rise across the globe. Re-infection risk with the Omicron variant is higher, experts say. A preliminary study suggests that those previously infected with COVID-19, also known as SARS-CoV-2, are at a higher risk of re-infection with the Omicron variant than with earlier versions of the virus.
In the second and third waves, researchers in South Africa found that the risk of a first infection increased.
but the risk of re-infection remained the same.
Last month, however, daily numbers of re-infections spiked as Omicron spread, the researchers reported on Thursday. The risk of re-infection for survivors may rise more rapidly than the average person’s risk for a first infection.
Infections with SARS-CoV-2 are typically diagnosed without genetic sequencing to confirm the variant responsibly. So this study cannot demonstrate that Omicron can evade the body’s immune defenses in response to a previous infection.
In addition, it does not prove any defenses generated by vaccination. According to the researchers. The timing of the re-infection increase “strongly implies that the arrival of the Omicron subtype drives it.”
Are Boosters Effective?
Pfizer booster protection is strong according to Israeli data. Data from Israel indicate that a booster shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine provides strong protection, at least in the short term.
According to the data, the odds of testing positive for the coronavirus were much lower for adults who receive their third dose of the vaccine than those who received their second dose more than five months ago. In addition, the researchers at Maccabi Health Services reviewed PCR tests performed on over 306,000 adults since the Pfizer/BioNTech booster dose became widely available.
Half of the tests were done on those who had received a booster and half on those who received standard two doses, with at least five months between each dose. Study results published in JAMA Internal Medicine last week, 1.8% of tests showed a positive result, compared with 6.6% in those with two doses in the booster group.
In their estimation, there was an 86 percent reduction in testing positive for the virus between four and nine weeks after receiving the third shot. The results were similar when researchers compared subsets of closely matched recipients of two or three doses.
A third dose of the vaccine might counteract the vaccine’s waning protection over time, but we need further testing to determine how long the protection will last, the researchers say.
Reactions in Young Adults
The few children who get the COVID-19 vaccine and develop myocarditis are likely to experience mild symptoms that disappear within a few weeks, a new report published Monday in the American Heart Association (AHA) journal Circulation reports. According to a Monday report in the American Heart Association (AHA) journal Circulation.
Male adolescents and young adults are most likely to experience the side effect. Researchers analyzed data from 26 children’s hospitals across the United States and Canada.
The study focuses on 49 patients aged 12 to 20. These are the ones who suffered “confirmed” myocarditis within a month of receiving the vaccine.
as well as 91 people who suffered “probable” myocarditis. The majority (91%) were male, 66% were white, and the average age was about 16. Despite 19% needing intensive care, no one died. Most patients went home within two days.
The researchers say it is unclear how patients will fare over the long term. As myocarditis related to the COVID-19 vaccine is typically mild and usually resolves quickly. However, the condition is “a source of great concern,” the researchers said.
Yet, they conclude, “we must weigh its risks against critical illness and cardiovascular involvement that associates with COVID-19. According to AHA President Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, who was not involve in the study, says the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination “far exceed the rare risks of adverse reactions, including myocarditis.”