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Covid-19 broke through despite antibodies in 98% of people, study shows

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newsBL Premium reports that a new survey of blood donors shows that virtually everyone in SA had antibodies to Covid-19 by the end of the fourth wave in March, but this was not enough to stop another surge in coronavirus cases less than two months later.

SA’s fourth wave was driven by the BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron sub-variants, and was swiftly followed by another wave powered by Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5. Analysis of almost 3,400 blood samples provided by donors from all nine provinces in mid-March showed 98% of donors had anti-nucleocapsid antibodies, generated in response to infection or antispike antibodies triggered by vaccination or both. Just more than one in 10 (10.8%) of the blood samples had only antispike antibodies, indicating their donors had been vaccinated and avoided infection. Alex Welte from the SA Centre of Excellence in Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis at Stellenbosch University and co-author of the study, commented: “The timing shows even having almost universal antibody coverage has not prevented an outbreak from happening. That is a really sobering message about the rate of immune escape this virus is capable of.” The coronavirus would continue to mutate, and it would be a mistake to say it would necessarily evolve into a more transmissible and milder form, noted Welte. “It looks like not a single unvaccinated person has avoided infection. That is quite striking,” Welte added. While vaccination did not provide complete protection from infection, the study clearly showed it helped reduce that risk, he said.

  • Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
  • Read too, Nearly everyone in South Africa has Covid antibodies, study shows, at GroundUp


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