The risk of Covid re-infection with an omicron is 16 times higher than that of a delta

The latest COVID-19 data from the UK Office for National Statistics It turns out that the rate of all re-infections has increased since the beginning of December 2021, Perhaps fueled by the rapid spread of the new strain.

Between December 20, 2021 and January 9, 2022, Omicron was the dominant variant of the coronavirus and the risk of reinfection was 16 times higher compared to the seven-month period from May 17 to December 19, 2021 when Delta was the main variant, ONS said.

This discovery comes weeks after the first realistic study of the effect of Omicron suggested it had an effect ‘Great’ ability to evade immunity from previous COVID infection.

During the six months from July 2, 2020 to January 9, 2022, People who had not been vaccinated were twice as likely to become infected as people who received their second vaccination 14 to 89 days ago., suggested another ONS analysis.

While the incredibly rapid spread of the Omicron variant has resulted in a sudden rise in mortality, emerging data, including from countries with low vaccination coverage, Indicates that the Omicron wave is less lethal than the previous waves.

Since the start of the pandemic, 15.3 million cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in the UK, of which 152,513 have been fatal.

But the European country hopes that through programs to boost vaccination it will be able to increase immunity levels against the most infectious types of COVID-19 to date.

The country’s efforts are focused on this, which is why Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently announced that at the end of January he would lift many restrictions that were imposed at Christmas when there was a new peak in infections due to the Omicron variant.

current rules Which includes guidance on working from home, COVID permits and mandatory masks in stores and on public transportation, will expire Jan. 26.

Reportedly, the Prime Minister can choose to retain mask requirements while removing work-from-home guidelines and COVID permits.

moreover, Scotland will remove all of its restrictions related to omicron viruses from next Monday, Nicola Sturgeon announced on Tuesday.

The changes will see nightclubs reopen, table service requirements in hospitality end, and attendance limits at indoor events lifted.

However, while some countries in Europe are assessing whether they have passed the omicron infection peak, in Latin America this peak is still on the rise, with many countries such as Colombia, Chile or Argentina reporting the maximum number of cases in recent statistics. .

In an area where the delta variant does not appear to have a significant effect, the high incidence of Omicron has once again opened the debate as to whether or not certain restrictions should be maintained.

Read on