Study at Imperial College UK… New mutations such as BA.4 and BA.5 suggest an increase in reinfection
University of Tokyo “Currently prevalent mutations easily multiply in the lungs”… Severe stomach pain may increase
A study result showed that the COVID-19 omicron mutant virus does not produce enough antibodies to protect an infected person from re-infection with an omicron submutant reinfection.
This suggests that the number of re-infected cases of COVID-19 may increase sharply in a situation where Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 are rapidly spreading around the world.
According to British daily Guardian and Sky News reports on the 14th (local time), researchers at Imperial College London (ICL) published a paper in the scientific journal ‘Science’ on the same day that Omicron’s natural infection does not cause a strong immune response. announced
The immune response was not strong in T-cells, which are immune cells as well as antibodies.
Immunology Professor Rosemary Boyton, who led the study, explained, “Omicron infection did not enhance immunity enough to prevent future Omicron re-infection.”
The thesis also revealed that even those who were vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine three times up to the booster shot (additional inoculation) did not get an additional immune-boosting effect from Omicron’s natural infection.
“This study helps explain why infection levels remain high in countries like the UK, even though so many people have already been infected with the virus,” The Guardian said.
The British health authorities designated BA.4 and BA.5 mutations as ‘variants of concern’ on the 20th of last month and are closely analyzing the transmission and damage situation. have.
BA.5.1, a subspecies of BA.5, and BA.2.12.1, a dominant species in the United States, are also spreading across the UK.
Citing another newer study, The Guardian noted that the now prevalent omicron submutations might attack the lungs more easily than existing viruses, which may pose a greater public health risk.
Professor Kei Sato’s research team at the University of Tokyo, Japan, revealed through preliminary data that mutations BA.4, BA.5, and BA.2.12.1 replicate much better in the lungs compared to BA.2 (stealth omicron), which was prevalent last winter. confirmed the facts.
If the virus is more likely to inflame the lungs, the lower airways, rather than the nose and throat, which are the upper airways, the number of patients with severe gastritis is bound to increase.
This characteristic has been confirmed in the alpha or beta type, which was prevalent in the early stages of the outbreak of COVID-19, and the fatality rate at that time was much higher than now.
/yunhap news
ⓒ Hankyung.com, unauthorized reprinting and redistribution prohibited
