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The more contagious Omicron sub-variants are spreading across Europe. The next wave is already openly mentioned in France and Spain. In addition, the holiday travel season has just started. This heightens fears of another global COVID-19 attack. And although its course is believed to be milder, the threat has not passed. Many people wonder if they are still protected by the vaccine. Bow. Bartosz Fiałek directly states in which situation the protection is potentially no longer or it is weak.
- Europe welcomed summer, and with it, unfortunately, also a new wave of COVID-19
- The observations to date show that the symptoms of infection with new Omikron sub-variants most often resemble a common cold. Bartosz Fiałek: It absolutely does not mean that the threat has disappeared
- Unvaccinated people are also among those at risk of severe complications of COVID-19, including those who have not taken a booster dose and have not had coronavirus infection
- The vaccines against COVID-19 used so far have a lower protection against infection with the Omikron variant, but it must be remembered that the protection against severe complications is still high
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
New Omicron sub-variants. The doctor tells whom they are most dangerous
The Omicron sub-variants (BA.4 and BA.5) detected in winter worry scientists and doctors. They do not appear to cause any more severe disease than earlier versions of the pathogen. – It can be said that globally, the course of COVID-19 caused by the current dominant lines of the novel coronavirus is milder. The Delta variant caused hospitalizations and led to death more often than the Omikron sub-variants, notes doctor Bartosz Fiałek, adding: – This does not mean, however, that the threat has disappeared.
The observations so far show that the symptoms of COVID-19 currently most often resemble a cold or upper respiratory tract infections. – There is an increase in body temperature or fever, runny nose, cough, weakness, malaise, muscle aches, pain in the joints – lists the doctor. “At first glance, these symptoms are mild and harmless, but only seemingly for a certain part of society,” he warns.
Among us, there are still people particularly at risk of severe COVID-19. – This group includes the elderly, patients with numerous comorbidities or immunocompetent patients (e.g. as a result of autoimmune diseases, cancer or taking immunosuppressive drugs). There are also unvaccinated people among those exposed to severe complications of COVID-19, the doctor says. And it does not mean only those who have not taken a single dose.
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When might vaccination against COVID-19 no longer protect?
– Speaking of vaccinated people, I mean those who have had three exposures behind them. We are talking about either three vaccinations or two injections and the disease of COVID-19 – this form of acquiring immunity cannot be ignored, although of course it should be avoided as much as possible – reminds the doctor and adds: “ So if one person took two doses of the vaccine and got COVID-19, and another took three doses of the vaccine, then in the epidemiological context they are at a similar level of security.
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But that’s not all. – If someone recorded only two exposures, e.g. took only two doses of vaccination against COVID-19, in the current reality he is theoretically unprotected – says Bartosz Fiałek. – Of course, in the context of previous lines of development, such a person has built an appropriate immune response, but in the face of the subvariants currently circulating in the environment, this protection is negligible at this epidemiological status, if it exists at all. On the one hand, the virus has changed dramatically, on the other – a long time has passed since the second dose of the vaccine was taken.
What are the vaccination statistics? The “Report on vaccination against COVID-19” shows that 19,7 million Poles have taken two doses, a booster dose was taken by less than 12 million, i.e. about 61 percent. people after the second injection. Of course, there is also the second option, i.e. two doses plus disease.
What protection after three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine?
The vaccines against COVID-19 used so far are less effective against infection with the Omikron SARS-CoV-2 variant or a mild course of the disease, admits Bartosz Fiałek. – However, if we think about protection against severe phenomena related to the disease, it is still high. Up to three months after ingestion of three doses of mRNA vaccines, protection against hospitalization for BA.19-induced COVID-1 is 80 percent, and 2 percent for BA.74. – he lists.
It is worth adding that the reduction of the risk of death due to COVID-19 caused by BA.1 and BA.2 subvariants in the case of taking four doses (two boosters) is as much as 99%, and in the case of taking three doses – 86%. compared to unvaccinated people. People who took two vaccine boosters against COVID-19 have an approx. 14 times lower risk of death due to infection with BA.1 and BA.2 sub-variants than unvaccinated people.
Finally, a real-life situation shared by the doctor as a warning. – Recently, we admitted a patient with COVID-19 to the ICU (intensive care unit) of our hospital. Middle-aged person, approx. 50 years old, unvaccinated. She developed respiratory failure in the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Looking at the current pandemic situation, there is a high probability that the disease was caused by one of the newest sub-variants: BA.4 or BA.5.
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