Yasmina Kattou, edited by Solène Delinger 06:12, February 09, 2022
According to several sources, the variants, and particularly Omicron, increase the risk of getting sick again.
A study from Imperial College London estimates that the risk of reinfection with Omicron is 5.4 times higher than with the Delta variant.
The duration of immunity after an infection would also depend on the variants.
Variants, especially Omicron, increase the risk of getting sick again.
A study from Imperial College London estimates that the risk of reinfection with Omicron is 5.4 times higher than with the Delta variant.
The duration of immunity after an infection would also depend on the variants.
How to explain this situation ?
Less risk of reinfection with Delta
After infection with Omicron, the protection obtained against reinfection would be only 19%, compared to 90% with the Delta variant, for example.
Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain the specificity of Omicron.
Less immune stimulation with Omicron
"The first is that we do not really know the duration of the immunity conferred by infection with the Omicron variant", underlines infectious disease specialist Emmanuel Piednoir on Europe 1. "The second is that the disease induced by Omicron is still different from Delta because the immune stimulation is less in the face of this disease which is rather less serious. And therefore, who says less immune stimulation means less protection ".
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Reinfection with the BA.2 subvariant, Omicron's little brother, is also possible.
Several cases have also been observed in Denmark.
Small hope for all people who have developed a severe form of Omicron: the immune system having been strongly stimulated, the risk of reinfection would be lower.