A laboratory technician uses a single-channel pipette dropper to test material during the processing of Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at a laboratory in the Dunkeld suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, on Wednesday 10 February 2021.
Waldo Swiegers | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Preliminary reports from South Africa show that people recovering from Covid-19 have been re-infected with a new, more contagious variant of the virus, World Health Organization officials said at a news conference on Friday.
The good news, however, is that the vaccines that are being developed to protect against the virus are seriously reducing the disease in those who are developing Covid-19, even if it does not completely protect them from infections. Soumya, chief scientist of the WHO, said. Swaminathan.
“The [vaccine] trials conducted so far in South Africa as well as in Brazil with various candidates have shown complete protection against serious illness, hospitalization and death. “Not a single case has been reported in any of the hearings,” she said.
According to the WHO, vaccination can also reduce the spread of new Covid variants.
“There are now reports that if you have the vaccine and you become infected, the virus load is much lower. The chance of infecting others may therefore be lower,” Swaminathan said.
Scientists have found that previous Covid infection causes antibodies and cell-mediated immunity, which could presumably prevent reinfection. Vaccination also helps individuals to build up protection against the virus.
But researchers continue to study the extent to which previous infection and vaccination are protected against the new, more contagious variants of the coronavirus.
Increased vaccination efforts alone are probably insufficient to control the spread of the coronavirus strain from the United Kingdom, said Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, told CNBC on Thursday. Gottlieb said a combination of incoming warmer weather and increased vaccinations could help contain the variant.
During Friday’s WHO briefing, Swaminathan emphasized the importance of vaccinated individuals continuing to take precautions, such as wearing a mask, washing hands and taking social distances to control the spread of the virus.