Can you catch the omicron COVID-19 variant twice? – KHON2

(NEXSTAR) With the rise ofthe BA.2 variant of COVID-19, a subvariant of omicron that isalso called stealth omicron, are people who caught the virus in the last wave susceptible again?

Early research indicates its not likely the subvariant will reinfect most people who just caught omicron in this recent wave of cases, but it is possible.

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A study of 2 million people in Denmark conducted between November and February found 187 instances of reinfection. Of those 187 cases, 47 were people who had the BA.1 variant, then caught the BA.2 variant.

According to Healthline, the majority of the people in the study who caught both omicron subvariants were young and unvaccinated. They did not have severe cases.

The study has not yet been peer-reviewed.

Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist and former Harvard researcher, raised a warning flag on Twitter in February, citing other early studies that showedomicrons protectiveness from reinfection doesnt last long.

Our results suggest that Omicron-induced immunity may not be sufficient to prevent infection from another, more pathogenic variant, should it emerge in the future, he tweeted, quoting thestudy.

It may seem counterintuitive, but people who only had a mild case of omicron the first time around may also be more likely to get it again.

If you had a mild infection, didnt get a very good immune response, and you get exposed again with a big dose of the virus, its definitely possible, Dr. Stanley Weiss, professor at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, told Yahoo.

However, because there is so much similarity between the two subvariants of omicron, many people infected in the most recent winter surge could be protected in the short term.

I think [reinfection] is unlikely because there is so much shared similarity [between the two types] that the minor differences are probably not enough to allow it to evade immunity to omicron, said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, head of Brigham and Womens Hospitals infectious disease division, in an interview withWBTS last month.

As with other variants, any added protection you get from a recent omicron infection also wanes over time. Abouttwo-thirds of those infected with omicronin the U.K. were people who had caught the alpha or delta variant in past COVID waves, a study from Imperial College London found.

I suspect over time, yes, you probably can get reinfected. But we dont have that data yet because omicron has only been around since October/November, John Hopkins Senior Scholar, Dr. Amesh Adalja, toldKHOU.

Protection from the COVID vaccines is more reliable, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. A fully vaccinated person who had a breakthrough infection isbest protected against future infection, a recent CDC study found.

Vaccinated and boosted people were also far less likely to have severe symptoms associated with an omicron infection.

Get more coronavirus news: COVID vaccines, boosters and Safe Travels information

The BA.2 subvariant makes up about 23% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to the CDCs last estimate. Epidemiologists point out its presence has been doubling about every week.

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Can you catch the omicron COVID-19 variant twice? - KHON2