A preprint paper posted 01 Dec 2021 on MedRxiv has quickly analyzed routine surveillance data from South Africa with a focus on SARS-CoV-2 re-infections. While not yet peer-reviewed, this represents the most current available data concerning the ability of different viral strains (including Delta and Omicron) to re-infect previously infected patients, and so directly addresses the central question concerning naturally acquired immunity; “Am I protected from new infections if I have already been infected before?” The analysis suggests that, in contrast to Beta and Delta variants, the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is able to evade immunity from prior infection and re-infect patients at a significant rate. The authors specifically conclude that Omicron’s “selection advantage is at least partially driven by an increased ability to infect previously infected individuals” while acknowledging that “ whether or not Omicron can also evade vaccine derived immunity has important implications for public health globally”.
Source:
https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.11.11.21266068.
Research Journal.
https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/one-and-done-not-with-omicron.
Blog.