Covid reinfections seem to be the order of the day these days. According to the latest data from the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), if from the beginning of the pandemic until December 22, 17,140 cases of reinfection had been registered. In the following two weeks, the figure had risen to 38,030, that is, 20,890 more cases .
The ISCIII reports that of the total number of reinfected, 1,240 (3.3%) are confirmed; 24,817 (65.3%) are probable and 11,973 (31.5%) are possible. Keep in mind that many people are asymptomatic and are positive without knowing it.
In statements to NIUS , the immunologist and vice-rector of the University of Valladolid, Alfredo Corell, explains that before the arrival of ómicron, reinfections worldwide were anecdotal . They occurred mainly in immunosuppressed people or in those who had lost protection. With ómicron the thing has changed.
The ISCIII report also shows that in the last three weeks there have been 1.4 million infections . Such a number of infections is the perfect breeding ground for us to reinfect ourselves.
On the other hand, a report from Imperial College London, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, has concluded that the risk of getting infected with omicron is 5.4 times higher than with delta . This implies that the protection against omicron reinfection provided by the previous infection may be 19%. The omicron variant would largely evade immunity from a previous infection or that provided by two doses of the vaccine. We insist that this is a study pending peer review, we will have to wait if it is finally validated or not.
According to Corell, the reason for the reinfections is that omicron accumulates more than 40 mutations in the spicule and therefore can escape more easily. However, the expert tells NIUS that “we have cellular immunity , especially T cells . They better resist the change of variants.” What these T cells do is identify which cells have been infected by a virus in order to eliminate them. This mechanism protects us from developing severe covid, but it does not prevent contagion.
The study that has not yet been peer-reviewed by Imperial College London is: Report 49 – Growth, population distribution and immune escape of Omicron in England; Neil Ferguson1, Azra Ghani, Anne Cori, Alexandra Hogan, Wes Hinsley, Erik Volz; https://www.imperial.ac.uk/mrc-global-infectious-disease-analysis/covid-19/report-49-Omicron/
