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Scientists are confident that Omikron carries an increased risk of reinfection. This means that the acquired immunity after being exposed to COVID-19 caused by the Delta variant may be insufficient in an encounter with Omikron.
- Containment of COVID-19 does not provide permanent immunity. The level of produced antibodies is systematically decreasing
- Healers may enjoy immunity, but experts cannot say exactly for how long. Especially since the new variant is more contagious
- Researchers say that immunity to reinfection lasts from three months to even several years depending on the individual predispositions of the organism
- Experts will be looking for answers to the question of whether it is possible to get infected with Omicron twice
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At the start of the pandemic, there was uncertainty about how long immunity from COVID-19 exposure would last. The first official COVID-19 recurrence, reported on August 24, 2020, was in a 33-year-old from Hong Kong who first contracted the coronavirus in March and then five months later. Research has shown that he contracted two other mutations.
Omicron more contagious. May endanger convalescents
Scientists are confident that Omikron is five times more capable of re-infecting a convalescent than previously dominant variants — found research published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Imperial College London. This means that the Omicron poses a greater threat to healers than previous mutations. The infection of COVID-19 caused by the Alpha or Delta mutations may not protect against Omicron infection. This is confirmed by a British study by the Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) and published in December 2021, which showed that around one in ten people with the Omikron variant in England had previously had COVID-19.
Further part below the video.
How long is the immunity of convalescents?
«There are people who believe that after being naturally infected, they will be permanently protected against COVID-19 as if it were measles. The two viruses that cause the two infections are very different from each other. Protection against the coronavirus wears off naturally over time» — says William Schaffner, specialist in prevention, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University (USA), quoted by inews.co.uk.
An October 2021 study by the Yale School of Public Health found that unvaccinated recoveries should have resistance to re-infection for a period of three to 61 months. However, this data was recorded and published before the appearance of the Omikron variant.
Is it possible to get infected twice with the Omikron variant?
Researchers believe that re-infection is confirmed by positive tests within 90 days of the previous infection. Earlier positive tests may be related to an existing infection, not a new one.
At present, there is insufficient data to conclude whether it is possible to re-infect with Omikron. This variant was identified in November, so so far it is too short a period to reliably determine whether reinfection is possible.
See the COVID-19 immunity test package, which you will perform at Diagnostics network points.
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