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Spanish researchers have reported the case of a healthcare professional who fell victim to Covid twice in a row just 20 days apart. This is the shortest known time between two cases of infections.
It was during the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Lisbon that this case was reported by researchers from the Institut Català de Salut, Tarragona (Spain).
The 20-day interval between two infections is the shortest known
A 31-year-old healthcare professional tested positive for the first time on December 20, 2021, during a PCR test carried out as part of a screening at her workplace. She had, however, received a full vaccination schedule and received a booster 12 days earlier. The patient, who did not develop any symptoms, then isolated herself for ten days before returning to work.
On January 10, 2022, just 20 days later, she developed a cough, fever and generally felt unwell. She did another PCR test, which came back positive.
Delta then Omicron
Whole genome sequencing revealed that the patient had been infected with two different strains of SARS-CoV-2: the first infection with the Delta variant and the second with the Omicron variant. This variant had been identified as a worrying variant by the World Health Organization on November 26, 2021, approximately one month earlier.
Today, it is the dominant variant worldwide, as it is more infectious than Delta and can more easily evade immunity from past infections and vaccination.
No guaranteed protection with Omicron
One of the authors of the study, Dr. Gemma Recio, from the Institut Català de Salut (Tarragona) says: “This case highlights the potential of the Omicron variant to evade immunity acquired either from natural infection with other variants or from vaccines. In other words, people who have had COVID-19 cannot assume that they are protected against reinfection, even if they have been fully vaccinated. Nevertheless, prior infection with other variants and vaccination appear to partially protect against severe illness and hospitalization in people with Omicron“. Note, however, that infections with the micron variant are less serious than with the Delta variant, the number of hospitalizations linked to this variant remains low compared to the number of contaminations.
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Genomic surveillance of variants to improve prevention
For the authors, this case also highlights the importance of performing genomic virus surveillance for infections in fully vaccinated patients and for reinfections. “Such surveillance will help detect variants capable of partially evading the immune response.“conclude the authors.