There are more reinfected by covid in two weeks than in the entire previous pandemic

The expansion of omicron multiplies the options for recontagion due to its ability to expand and find holes in the immune system

During the first months of the pandemic , virus experts repeated that once someone had been infected by covid-19 they would not be infected again. The numbers proved the scientists right because the cases of reinfected were anecdotal and were even studied case by case. However, the omicron mutation has changed everything and the chances of developing the disease again have multiplied .

The figures do not give rise to debate. The Carlos III Health Institute counted 17,140 cases of reinfections since the new coronavirus was transmitted to humans in December 2019 until December 22, 2021 . Instead, over the next 14 days, the number of newly reinfected soared to 38,030 . In other words, in two weeks twice as many people were infected again than in the previous two years .

The expansion of the omicron variant has altered the landscape and the calculations. When it emerged in South Africa it was claimed that it doubled your chances of reinfection, but now it has increased fivefold compared to previous versions of the coronavirus . In fact, its extreme contagion capacity has separated other mutations of the coronavirus to become the main one in the world.

In addition, ómicron has managed to find the holes in the immune system necessary to replicate again.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) , these reinfections are explained by the meetings on Christmas dates, the relaxation of the protocols and the change in the profile of those affected. "There are three things we urgently need to do: protect ourselves through vaccination, prevent new infections and prepare health systems for an increase in cases," said the regional director of the World Health Organization in the European region, Hans Henri P. Kluge. According to WHO data, the new version has spread rapidly, especially among adults between the ages of 20 and 40 .

Vaccines that protect against new variants

Fortunately, lethality has decreased with the new change in the virus. Ómicron is more contagious but its evolution, although, for the time being, has lesser effects or milder symptoms .

To this is added the vaccination of the population, since the antibodies protect against the new infection more effectively and prevent serious cases. According to the first studies of the health authorities of the United States, the response of the immune system of those vaccinated with Moderna and Pfizer has shown an effectiveness of 90% six months after the second dose and also protects against new variants such as omicron .