The Covid-19 epidemic is receding in most parts of the world. In France, Olivier Véran spoke on Sunday February 21 of a “collapse” of the 5th wave. The number of positive cases fell by 42% in one week in France. On the other hand, the number of reinfections has increased.
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You can catch Covid-19 multiple times. Reinfections are now more frequent than last year, as evidenced by the latest data from Public Health France. 417 000 cases of reinfection have been recorded for a year. We speak of reinfection when a person tests positive twice more than two months apart. Since the beginning of December, these reinfections represent 3.6% of all cases of Covid-19, in France, it is four times more than before between March and December 2021.
More than half of these reinfections, 52%, occurred among 18-40 year olds, probably due to less respect for barrier gestures and lower vaccination coverage in this age group. Compared to the average for the adult population, there are also more reinfections among healthcare workers, due to high exposure to the virus. On average, these reinfections occurred eight months apart. In 42% of cases, these reinfections were asymptomatic. They were discovered, by chance, during a test. Moreover, Public Health France believes that this number of reinfections is undoubtedly underestimated.
Based on screening data, 80% of reinfections are due to the Omicron variant. One of the characteristics of Omicron is that it manages to escape, in part, the antibodies that the body puts in place after an initial infection. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a study conducted in Qatar before the arrival of Omicron, the fact of having already encountered the virus protected 90% from a new infection. But faced with this variant, a previous contamination only protects 56% against a new infection.
On the other hand, the fact of having already been contaminated continues to protect 88% of serious forms, even against Omicron. It should also be remembered that with three doses of vaccine, this protection against serious forms exceeds 90%. And insofar as we risk having to live a long time with this virus, it is this resistance to severe forms that counts.