Repeated reinfections with multiple variants... Experts warn "People in their 50s should not be complacent" and explain why

[Asia Economy Reporter Byeon Seon-jin] As the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and the fatality rate decreases, experts warn that “not only high-risk groups but also people in their 50s should be careful to avoid reinfection.” This is because the fatality rate rises sharply upon reinfection as the number of underlying diseases increases with age.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 19th, monitoring COVID-19 confirmed cases for two weeks from the 4th week of December last year (25th?31st) showed a fatality rate of 0.07%. The fatality rate steadily declined after reaching 0.10% in the 2nd week of November last year, which was a 0.3 percentage point increase in one week due to the impact of the ‘7th wave.’ The weekly average number of critically ill patients and deaths in the 2nd week of January (8th?14th) were 524 and 51 respectively, down 12.2% and 10.5% from the previous week (597 and 57). During the same period, the weekly number of confirmed cases was 300,563, a 27.5% decrease from the previous week (414,614). The weekly confirmed cases have been declining for three consecutive weeks.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Health Authorities: "Fatality Rate Increases Upon Reinfection"?

Although the winter wave is also on a downward curve and the number of deaths is expected to decrease, health authorities emphasize that “the increased risk of death upon reinfection should not be overlooked.” Recently, with the detection of various Omicron variants, the proportion of suspected reinfection cases reached 19.92% (1 in 5 cases reinfected) in the 1st week of January (1st?7th), the highest since the outbreak of COVID-19 in January 2020.

According to the ‘Fatality Rate by Number of COVID-19 Infections Since July 2022’ released by the Central Disease Control Headquarters, the age-standardized fatality rate for those infected twice with COVID-19 is 0.11%, which is 1.79 times higher than that for those infected once (0.06%). For those aged 60 and above, the fatality rate rises from 0.25% after one infection to 0.41% after two infections, a 1.72-fold increase. Although Omicron is less virulent than the original Wuhan virus, reinfection with COVID-19 increases the likelihood of progressing to severe illness.

Experts: "Difficult to Accept as Established Fact, but High-Risk Groups and Those with Underlying Conditions Are at Risk"

Experts say that the hypothesis that “fatality rates increase with repeated COVID-19 reinfections” requires further verification controlling for various variables, but they advise high-risk groups and those with underlying conditions to be cautious about infection.

Professor Eom Jung-sik, an infectious disease specialist at Gachon University Gil Medical Center, said, “COVID-19 infection causes damage to respiratory mucosa and organs such as lungs, kidneys, and liver. Repeated infections are likely to impair bodily functions, which can lead to severe illness,” but added, “The exact cause has not been pathophysiologically identified.” He also noted, “Similar findings of increased fatality rates with repeated infections have been reported overseas, including in the United States.”

In the case of people in their 50s, although they are not classified as high-risk groups, the fatality rate triples upon reinfection, showing the highest increase among all age groups. Regarding this, Professor Eom explained, “People in their 50s begin to experience an increase in chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, so practically, they are close to the high-risk group. If individuals with underlying conditions are repeatedly infected, the fatality rate increases regardless of age.”

Professor Kim Woo-joo, an infectious disease specialist at Korea University Guro Hospital, said, “The reason people aged 65 and older are considered high-risk for COVID-19 is because many have chronic diseases, but people in their 50s are in the preliminary stage, so COVID-19 infection should not be taken lightly.” However, Professor Kim added, “The fatality rates by number of infections announced by health authorities have not been adjusted for factors such as the number of underlying disease patients, vaccination status, or variant types between first and second infections, so it is premature to accept the conclusion that severity increases with reinfection as established fact.”

2-dose vaccine [Image source=Yonhap News]

Health authorities urged high-risk groups and others with underlying conditions to receive preventive vaccination with the updated vaccine. According to an analysis of confirmed cases from November 11 to December 10 last year, even if infected after completing the updated vaccine, the risk of progressing to severe illness was reduced by 93.9% compared to unvaccinated individuals.

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