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(AP) – Evidence is mounting that COVID-19 may not protect against re-infection with some of the newer variants.
People can also get second infections with earlier versions of the coronavirus if they mount a weak defense the first time around, new research suggests.
One of the big questions of the pandemic is the duration of immunity against natural infection.
Scientists still believe that re-infections are quite rare and usually less severe than the first ones, but recent developments around the world have raised concerns.
In South Africa, a vaccine study found new infections with a variant in 2% of people who previously had a previous version of the virus.
In Brazil, several similar cases have been documented with a new variant.
Researchers are examining whether re-infections help explain a recent outbreak in the city of Manaus, where three-quarters of residents are believed to have been infected previously.
In the United States, a study found that 10% of marine recruits who had evidence of previous infection and who tested negative multiple times before starting basic training were subsequently re-infected.
This work was done before the new variants began to spread, said study leader Dr Stuart Sealfon of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. “A substantial risk of reinfection remains.”
Reinfection is a public health problem, not just a personal one.
Even in cases where the reinfection causes no symptoms or only mild symptoms, people can still spread the virus.
That’s why health officials recommend vaccination as a longer-term solution and encourage people to wear masks, keep a physical distance, and wash their hands frequently.
Doctors in South Africa began to worry when they saw an upsurge in cases late last year in areas where blood tests suggested many people had already had the virus.
Scientists have discovered a new version of the virus that is more contagious and less sensitive to certain treatments.
It is responsible for more than 90% of new cases in South Africa and has spread to 40 countries including the United States.
Madhi conducted a study testing Novavax’s vaccine and found it to be less effective against the new variant.
The study also found that infections with the new variant were just as common in people with COVID-19 as in those without.
Scientists in California are also studying whether a recently identified variant can cause re-infections or an increase in cases.
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