Reinfections from the sub-variant BA.2 can occur shortly after a person has caught Omicron but are rare, new research suggests.
The study, which looked at 47 cases of BA.2 infection that came shortly after an Omicron infection, found that this phenomenon disproportionately affects unvaccinated people.
Reinfections were characterised by overall mild symptoms comparable to the initial infection and did not lead to hospitalisation or death, according to the study.
“It is, however, striking that mainly children and adolescents become reinfected, since children to a higher degree than adults develop a sustained cross-reactive immunity,” the authors note.
“This may be explained by the very high incidences among children in the chosen study period, whereas adults and elderly had lower incidences.”
The Independent
Samuel Lovett