According to a study by South African scientists, the risk of re-infection with Kovid-19 increases with the omiciron variant, giving the first indication that this variant is more resistant to infection than previous variants. This work is based on an analysis of 35,670 recurrent infections found in approximately 2.8 million individuals tested positive in South Africa.

Between 1^Is As of November 27, the risk of re-infection is three times higher compared to the waves associated with the beta and delta variants. “The Omicron variant is associated with a significant ability to protect the immune system from previous infections,” the study concludes, made available Thursday, December 2, at the pre-publication site. medRxiv, But it has not yet been peer reviewed.

“We do not have information on the vaccination status of individuals in our data, so we can not draw any conclusions about Omiciron’s ability to escape the vaccine – induced immunity,” Juliet Polym of Stellenbosch University in South Africa warned on Twitter. Research.

Last week, South Africa announced the discovery of this new variant, which created a phenomenon of global panic. Because it has so many mutations, scientists have tried to find out if it is more contagious or more resistant to the immunity gained by vaccines or previous infections. Laboratory results are still awaited, so this study provides valuable first information.

Severe symptoms are rare

“We believe previous infections did not protect against omicarone,” said Ann von Gottberg, an epidemiologist at the South African National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD). According to the first observations, omechronine can be re-contaminated in people who are already infected, often with milder symptoms, the scientist explained.

However, vaccines should remain effective against more severe forms of the disease, they said. According to the World Health Organization, this variant is found in at least 22 countries, including four African countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Botswana, and South Africa. The number of official Covid-19 cases on the continent has increased by 54% in the last seven days compared to the previous day, due to the sharp rise in pollution in South Africa, which is expected to exceed 10,000 cases in the next 24 hours. According to WHO Africa.

At this point, “we do not know where the variant is coming from,” said WHO expert Ambrose Talisuna. Following the announcement of the discovery of a new variant named Omiciron, South Africa and its neighbors were punished by a sudden travel ban in several countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reiterated its call for the removal of these “unjust” restrictions, which have no scientific justification.