Category: South Africa
Preprint: Omicron infection enhances neutralizing immunity against the Delta variant
“We enrolled both previously vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the Omicron infection wave in South Africa soon after symptom onset. More...
Preprint: Omicron incompletely escapes immunity induced by the Pfizer vaccine
Laboratory research from South Africa strongly suggests that the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant escapes antibody immunity induced by the Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty) vaccine, but that considerable immunity is retained in people who were both vaccinated and previously infected. More...
Preprint: Omicron is the product of extensive evolution that has left no obvious traces of intermediate forms
The Omicron variant identified in Southern Africa in late November 2021 is the product of extensive evolution within an infection context that has so far left no obvious traces of intermediate forms since it diverged from the B.1.1 lineage (presumably at some time in mid to late 2020). More...
South Africa: Tshwane District Omicron Patient Profile
There has been a significant rise in new SARS-CoV-2 infections in the Gauteng Province in the last four weeks which has been attributed to the new Omicron variant announced on 24 November 2021. More...
South Africa: Growing number of children admitted to hospitals with Omicron
South African health care workers are raising concern about the growing number of children being hospitalised with moderate to severe symptoms of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. More...
Preprint: Increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection associated with emergence of the Omicron variant in South Africa
332 individuals were identified who had three suspected infections. More...
Omicron at 74% of South African genome sequences in November
Stunning figures showing the explosive growth of the new Omicron variant in South Africa. More...
WHO: Global risk related to Omicron assessed as very high
WHO: “The overall global risk related to the new VOC Omicron is assessed as very high.” More...
Omicron “incubated in an immunocompromized person for months or serially passaged in a lab”
Some interesting developments on the possible origins of the new Omicron variant, B.1.1.529…
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