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 While not yet peer-reviewed, this represents the most current available data concerning the ability of different viral strains (including Delta and Omicron) to re-infect previously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:
- December 2, 2021. Juliet R. C. Pulliam, Cari van Schalkwyk, Nevashan Govender, Anne von Gottberg, Cheryl Cohen, Michelle J. Groome, Jonathan Dushoff, Koleka Mlisana, and Harry Moultrie. “Increased Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection Associated with Emergence of the Omicron Variant in South Africa.”
https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.11.11.21266068.
Research Journal. - December 5, 2021. Robert Malone. “One and Done – Not with Omicron!” Substack newsletter. Who Is Robert Malone.
https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/one-and-done-not-with-omicron.
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