Omicron: South African study says new COVID variant thrice more likely to reinfect people

Doctors have noticed an increase in the number of patients who have contracted COVID on repeated occasions, as in those who have contracted the virus more than once. And now, researchers and scientists in South Africa have presented the first real-world evidence that the COVID-19 Omicron variant may be able to circumvent some of the human immunity and is thrice more likely to reinfect people than Delta variant of COVID-19.

However, It's a quick test that's not conclusive, but it matches with concerns about the mutations the variant carries. It's also unclear what this signifies for the vaccine's protection.

According to a study based on surveillance data conducted by South African researchers, the novel Omicron variant of coronavirus is associated with an increased risk of Covid-19 reinfection. This is the first evidence-based study to demonstrate that Omicron can evade prior infection immunity. 

The researchers stated, "We find evidence of a substantial and ongoing increase in the risk of reinfection that is temporally consistent with the timing of the emergence of the Omicron variant in South Africa, suggesting that its selection advantage is at least partially driven by an increased ability to infect previously infected individuals."

The world is still trying to figure out the genuine threat posed by the Omicron variant. The COVID-19 variant has been substantially altered, and officials in South Africa have warned that it is causing an increase in the number of cases. It has also been discovered in over 30 nations. Scientists analysed over 36,000 suspected re-infection cases in South Africa to see if re-infection risk (getting it twice or more) changed over the course of the epidemic. 

Researchers observe an increase in re-infections

During the Beta or Delta waves, they found no increase in the chance of re-infection. Despite laboratory studies indicating that those mutations had the ability to circumvent certain immunity. They are now seeing an increase in re-infections. They have not tested each patient to establish it is Omicron, but the timing suggests the mutation is the driving force, according to the researchers. Omicron could be twice as likely to induce re-infection as earlier strains, according to the study, which has not been properly examined by other scientists.

Professor from Stellenbosch University and one of the researchers, Juliet Pulliam, said, "These findings suggest that Omicron's selection advantage is at least partially driven by an increased ability to infect previously infected individuals."

There are doubts regarding how much decreasing immunity plays a role, as well as how quickly any variant could spread now. Furthermore, this was a quick examination, and additional data will be collected over time. The findings of laboratory tests to see how successfully antibodies can battle the virus are expected in the coming week. Only 24% of persons in South Africa are fully immunised. The findings could have significant consequences for other countries with high levels of natural immunity against infection, according to the researchers.

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