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The First Large-Scale Study on Omicron is Out
Since Omicron was first detected in southern Africa late November — prompting widespread travel restrictions on the region —information on the new variant has been lacking. But as cases rise data grows and the the first large-scale study on Omicron has just been released.
On December 14th, Discovery Health — a South African private health insurance administrator — in collaboration with the South African Medical Research Council, released the results of their analysis on the country’s Omicron outbreak — which have yet to be published and peer-reviewed. A study based on over two hundred positive COVID-19 cases, where more than one third of these cases was reported during the Omicron-driven forth wave of infections in South Africa.
Their study shows that during this wave the rates of reinfection increased and (since the new variant currently accounts for 90% of new infections) this suggests that Omicron poses a higher risk of reinfection, when compared with previous variants. There are two possible reasons behind this: one being that reinfections have simply been rising over time as the immunity provided by a first infection wanes, the second being that the mutations observed on Omicron may allow it to better evade the immune system. The reality is likely a…
