Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection Less Protective Against Omicron Variant
FRIDAY, Feb. 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Previous severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is about 90 percent effective for preventing reinfection with the alpha, beta, and delta variants but offers lower protection against reinfection with the omicron variant, according to a letter to the editor published online Feb. 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Heba N. Altarawneh, M.D., from Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar in Doha, and colleagues extracted data related to COVID-19 vaccination and clinical infections to estimate the effectiveness of previous infection in preventing symptomatic new cases caused by omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants in Qatar using a test-negative, case-control study design.
The researchers found that the effectiveness of previous infection in preventing reinfection was estimated to be 90.2, 85.7, 92.0, and 56.0 percent against the alpha, beta, delta, and omicron variants, respectively. The study results were confirmed in sensitivity analyses. Among patients with reinfection, progression to severe COVID-19 occurred in one, two, none, and two patients with the alpha, beta, delta, and omicron variants, respectively. Reinfections did not progress to critical or fatal disease. With respect to protection against severe, critical, or fatal COVID-19, the effectiveness of previous infection was 69.4, 88.0, 100, and 78.8 percent against the alpha, beta, delta, and omicron variants, respectively.
"The protection of previous infection against hospitalization or death caused by reinfection appeared to be robust, regardless of variant," the authors write.
One author disclosed financial ties to Gilead Sciences.
Related Posts
ASCO: Minimally Invasive Noninferior to Open Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer
THURSDAY, June 1, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with resectable...
Racial, Ethnic Inequities Seen in Opioid Access for Patients Dying of Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- For patients dying of cancer,...
Mindfulness Approach Helps Ease the Stress of Parenting a Child With Autism
WEDNESDAY, May 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- "Mindfulness" practices may help...
ADHD Tied to Higher Fracture Risk in Children
MONDAY, April 24, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Children with...