South Africa: "Omicron, 3 Times Higher Risk of Reinfection"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] An analysis has revealed that the Omicron variant evades immunity formed from previous variants or infections, increasing the risk of reinfection by three times. As local infections have become a reality in Europe and the United States, concerns are rising that confirmed cases may surge soon.

The South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (SACEMA) and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) announced on the 2nd (local time) that after analyzing epidemiological data from South Africa from March 2020 to November 27 of this year, "the Omicron variant carries a reinfection risk three times higher than the Delta and Beta variants."

This announcement came after South African health authorities released a pre-peer-reviewed paper on a medical preprint site. The health authorities stated, "According to the latest findings, there is epidemiological evidence that the Omicron variant has the ability to evade immunity formed from previous infections."

NICD also stated, "The reinfection risk of the Omicron variant is higher than that associated with the Beta and Delta variants during the second and third waves." An increase in reinfections compared to new infections means that the new variant has developed the ability to evade natural immunity from previous infections.

On the same day, Anne von Gottberg, a microbiologist at NICD, said at a World Health Organization (WHO) virtual press conference, "South Africa is reporting an increase in COVID-19 reinfections due to the Omicron variant."

Along with the spread of the Omicron variant, new confirmed cases in South Africa are also surging. On this day, new confirmed cases reached 11,535, nearly doubling over the past three days with 2,273 (November 29), 4,373 (November 30), and 8,561 (December 1), before surpassing 10,000. The positivity rate among those tested also increased from 16.5% the previous day to 22.4%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.