The data suggest that those who have had the virus still need to be vaccinated.
Photographer: Nathan Laine / Bloomberg
Photographer: Nathan Laine / Bloomberg
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Older people are at risk of catching Covid-19 again after recovering from a previous attack of the virus, new research shows.
Although most people are unlikely to contract the disease again for at least six months, the elderly are more prone to reinfection, according to the results published in the Lancet on Wednesday. The study of test results last year in Denmark showed that those under 65 who had Covid protected about 80% to get it back. Protection dropped to 47% for 65-year-olds and older.
According to the data, those who had the virus still need to be vaccinated. Natural protection cannot be relied upon, especially for the elderly most are at risk of serious illness. The Denmark analysis focused on the original coronavirus strain and did not make any assessment of new variants that are more transmissible.
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“Our findings make clear the importance of implementing policies to protect the elderly during the pandemic,” even though they already had Covid-19, said Steen Ethelberg, a senior researcher at the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen. a statement said. “Our insights can also inform policies focused on broader vaccination strategies and the easing of closure restrictions.”
The authors of the study analyzed the data collected as part of Denmark’s national SARS-CoV-2 testing strategy. More than two-thirds of the population, or about 4 million people, have been tested over a period spanning the country’s first and second teams waves. The analysis found that only 0.65% of the people underwent a positive PCR test during both waves. A higher percentage – 3.3% – has a positive result after a previous negative result.
Consistent with the findings of other studies, there was no evidence that protection against reinfection decreased within six months, the authors said. However, as the virus was only identified in December 2019, the complete protective immunity from infection has yet to be determined. It was also not possible to determine whether the severity of the symptoms affected the patient’s degree of immunity.
‘This data confirms, if necessary, that SARS-CoV-2 hope protective immunity by natural infections may not be within our reach and a global vaccination program with high vaccination efficiency is the lasting solution, ”write professors Rosemary Boyton and Daniel Altmann of Imperial College London in a comment related to the study.