Recovered Covid patients have been re-infected with new strains of virus, WHO says

Preliminary reports from South Africa show that people who have recovered from Covid-19 have been reinfected with a new, more contagious variant of the virus, World Health Organization officials said at a news conference Friday.

The good news, however, is that the vaccines designed to protect against the virus seem to reduce the severity of the disease in those who develop Covid-19, even if it doesn’t fully protect them from infection, said Dr. Soumya, WHO’s chief scientist. Swaminathan.

“The [vaccine] Trials conducted so far in South Africa and Brazil with different candidates have shown complete protection against serious illness and hospitalization and death. No case was reported in any of the studies, ”she said.

Vaccination can also reduce the spread of new Covid variants, according to WHO.

“There are now reports that if you get the vaccine and you get infected, the viral load is much lower. So the chances of infecting others are lower,” Swaminathan said.

Previous Covid infection produces antibodies and cell-mediated immunity believed to prevent reinfection, scientists have discovered. Vaccination also helps individuals build protection against the virus.

But researchers continue to study to what extent previous infection and vaccination protect against the new, more contagious variants of the coronavirus.

Increased vaccination efforts alone are likely insufficient to control the spread of the coronavirus strain from the UK, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, told CNBC Thursday. Gottlieb said a combination of incoming warmer weather and increased vaccinations could help control the variant.

During Friday’s WHO briefing, Swaminathan stressed the importance of vaccinated individuals to continue to take precautions such as wearing a mask, washing hands and social distancing to control the spread of the virus.