More reinfections ‘but symptoms are less severe’

There is an increase in Covid-19 reinfections due to the Omicron variant but symptoms for reinfected patients and those infected after vaccination appear to be mild, a scientist studying the outbreak of the new strain says.

The new variant, which has caused global fears of a surge in infections, is fast overtaking Delta to become the dominant strain in SA, where case numbers are rising dramatically.

“Previous infection used to protect against Delta but now with Omicron that doesn’t seem to be the case,” said Anne von Gottberg, microbiologist at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.

She told an online news conference hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) that she and her colleagues believe reinfections with Omicron and breakthrough infections in vaccinated patients will feature less severe symptoms.

Von Gottberg said the travel bans imposed by many countries on passengers from SA are having an adverse effect on the logistics of Omicron research.

“There are fewer flights to choose from to bring in reagents, to bring in equipment, in addition to send out specimens and isolates for people to be able to then work with Omicron,” she said.

Isolates are cultures of micro-organisms for study.

African leaders have complained about the travel restrictions, saying their countries are being penalised for their transparency in reporting data on the new variant.

More than 50% of African nations can now do the genomic sequencing to identify the variant, the WHO said, and those that cannot are partnered with nations that can.

WHO officials told the same event Covid-19 vaccination is improving in Africa, with five countries including SA now having vaccinated more than 40% of their populations, though coverage remains low elsewhere.

At a separate online news conference, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr John

Nkengasong, said vaccine supplies have improved.

“Vaccines are beginning to flow to the continent in a very predictable and steady manner,” he said, adding that the challenge now is to ensure those supplies are used, in a context where vaccine hesitancy remains high.

“The uptake is not as we would have loved to see.”

Some African countries have delayed deliveries of vaccines, including those provided under the AU’s African vaccine acquisition task team.