My case adds to the emerging slope of the 3rd omicron wave in seven months, which is lately crossing Australia.
As I trembled during my gentle struggle, I had the idea that I would at least have a respite of several months in isolation precautions and testing. But emerging evidence suggests the option of reinfection in a shorter time for new subvariants.
Experts have reduced the coverage window of a past infection from 12 weeks to 28 days. This week, the governments of New South Wales, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory announced that those who have already had COVID will want to get tested. after 28 days if they have symptoms. If they are positive, they will be treated as new cases.
Reinfection (testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID) after recovering from a previous infection) is on the rise. Reinfection accounted for 1% of all cases in the pre-omicron era in England, but in recent weeks accounted for more than 25% of cases there and 18% in New York.
We don’t have comparative Australian knowledge yet, but it’s most likely a similar story, given the emergence of the omicron subvariants BA. 4 and BA. 5 here. These are transmitted more easily and are capable of causing outbreaks of infection in other people. in the past vaccinated or infected.
It is less difficult to perceive our threat of reinfection at the individual point if we break it down into 4 key factors: the virus, the person’s immune reaction to a subsequent infection, vaccination status, and individual protective measures. There’s not much we can do with the first two factors, but we can do with the last two.
Australia Live News: NSW is following WA and ACT for the COVID reinfection window; Albanese to open forum on energy https://t. co/KlOf5iZPfE
The virus
Much has been written about the immune formula that avoids the characteristics of omicron subvariants due to new mutations in the sars-CoV2 spike protein.
Pre-omicron, infection with a variant of COVID (alpha, beta, delta) provided long-lasting cross-immunity. This provided effective coverage against symptomatic infection.
However, all this replaced with the emergence of the subvariant omicron BA. 1 in late 2021, with studies demonstrating reduced cross-protection compared to past infections that were connected with less physically powerful antibody responses.
Fast forward several months, and we can see that even infection with early omicron subvariants (BA. 1, BA. 2) does not necessarily differentiate us from its more recent siblings (BA. 4, BA. 5).
Our reaction to infections
How our immune formula treated previous COVID infection would likely influence how you negotiate long-term exposure.
We know that other immunocompromised people are at a higher risk of reinfection (or even a relapse of a persistent infection).
The UK’s large COVID Infection Survey shows that in the general population, other people who do not report symptoms or who have lower virus concentrations on their PCR swabs with their previous infection are more likely to be reinfected than those who have higher symptoms or viral concentrations.
This indicates that when the framework develops a physically more powerful immune reaction to the first infection, it builds defenses that oppose reinfection. Perhaps a thin glimmer of hope for those who shuddered, coughed, and spit out due to COVID!
vaccination status
When COVID vaccines were rolled out in 2021, they were covered against serious illness (resulting in hospitalization or death) and symptomatic infections.
It should be noted that coverage against serious illness remains valid, due to the responses of our immune formula to portions of the virus that have not mutated from the original strain. But variants of omicron can infect other people even if they are vaccinated. because variants have discovered tactics to escape the “neutralization” of vaccine antibodies.
A new study shows that six months after the current dose of an mRNA vaccine (such as Pfizer and Moderna), antibody levels against all omicron subvariants are especially low compared to the original strain (Wuhan). That is, the vaccine’s ability to cope with infection through subvariants is declining faster than against the original strain of the virus.
Antibody levels in all variants were highest two weeks after participants received a booster injection, but BA. 4 and BA. 5 showed the smallest additional gains. Interestingly, in this (and applicable to our highly immunized population), there were higher levels of antibodies in subjects who had been inflamed and vaccinated. Again, the gains were smaller for the new omicron subvariants.
Personal protection
More recent discussions have focused on COVID immune evasion prowess. But the virus has yet to enter our respiratory tract to cause reinfection.
SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted from user to user in the air breathing droplets and aerosols, and by touching infected surfaces.
We can disrupt the broadcast by doing everything we’ve been taught for the past two years: social distancing and wearing a mask when we can’t (preferably non-cloth), washing our hands normally, getting better ventilation when opening windows, and an air purifier. for poorly ventilated spaces. And you can isolate yourself when you’re sick.
A long-term reinfected?
There is recent encouraging data showing that while reinfection might be common, it is rarely related to serious illness. It also shows that booster injections offer modest protection.
While some (unfortunate) people have become reinfected in a short period of time (less than 90 days), this turns out to be rare and similar to the fact that they are young and usually not vaccinated.
Plans to roll out mRNA booster vaccines to detect mutations in the complex omicron protein offer promise to recover some of those immune variants. That said, it will only be a matter of time before new mutations develop.
The bottom line is that it will be difficult to become inflamed or re-inflamed with a variant of COVID in the coming years.
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