Omicron is associated with a five times higher risk of re-infection than Delta

The risk of re-infection by the mutated Omicron strain of the coronavirus is more than five times higher than the risk posed by Delta, while at the same time the infection does not appear to be milder, according to a study by Imerial College London, at a time of pandemic Europe erupts and threatens the holidays.

The results of the study were based on data from the Health and Safety Agency and the UK National Health Service for people tested positive for Covid-19 by PCR in England between 29 November and 11 December.

“We found no evidence (both of hospitalization risk and symptoms) that Omicron differed in severity from Delta,” the study said, although adding that hospitalization data remained limited.

“By checking the vaccination status, age, sex, nationality, asymptomatics, area and date of sampling, Omicron is associated with a 5.4-fold higher risk of re-infection compared to Delta,” the study added. dated 16 December.

“This suggests that protection against Omicron re-infection provided by a previous disease may be as high as 19%,” Imperial College said in a statement, but noted that the study has not yet been evaluated by peers.

An earlier study by Britain’s SIREN, which looked at the risk of re-infection in healthcare workers before Omicron appeared, found that the first coronavirus infection provided 85% protection against a second infection over the next six months.

Data analyzed by Imperial College were based on 333,000 cases, including 122,062 Delta cases and 1,846 confirmed as cases of the mutated Omicron strain based on the genome sequence.

The new findings could speed up the imposition of stricter restrictions in some European countries in an effort to curb the spread of the Omicron strain, according to Reuters.