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Some people in South Africa have been reinfected with Covid-19 variants after they had already recovered from the virus, World Health Organization (WHO) chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Friday.
“We are now receiving reports of people being re-infected with the new variant of the virus, and there have been some initial reports from South Africa suggesting that people who have had a previous infection could become infected again.” he said at a WHO press conference.
Swaminathan did not specify the number of people reinfected in South Africa, but said ongoing scientific studies are looking at how long antibodies protect people after they have contracted the virus.
The scientist said that a recent UK study of healthcare workers found that 85 percent of the cohort had developed protection against reinfection with Covid-19 six to eight months after first contracting the virus.
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A South African study published in pre-printed format last month found that the country’s indigenous mutation, 501Y.V2, showed “Substantial or complete escape” of neutralizing antibodies in the human body that target Covid-19.
“These data highlight the possibility of reinfection” and can “Heralds reduced efficiency” of vaccines, according to the study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Another larger and more widespread study of 43,000 people with Covid-19 antibodies in Qatar concluded that reinfection is “weird,” And that natural infection caused strong protection against the virus for at least seven months.
The South African variant has more genetic mutations than previous forms of the virus, including the E484K mutation, which appears to have an impact on the body’s immune response, potentially increasing the likelihood of reinfection.
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It represents more than 80 percent of cases in South Africa and has spread to at least 32 countries around the world.
South Africa has severely limited the launch of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for fear that it will not work against the strain and is instead prioritizing the use of other jabs, including the one made by Johnson & Johnson.
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