‘Omicron reinfections rare, unlikely for next few mths'

Omicron reinfection seems unlikely among Indians at least for the next few months, said experts after reports that Omicron BA2 has replaced Omicron BA1 as the most common Covid-causing SARS-CoV-2 variant in circulation in India.

Mumbai: Reinfection is the medical term used to describe a second or more infection by the same organism.

The Omicron reinfection theory gained momentum with a research paper from Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut saying it’s possible. Covid tests carried out on approximately 2 million people in this European nation affected by Omicron’s sub-types BA1 and BA2 revealed “67 cases in which the same individual had become infected twice at a 20-60-day interval where both infections were due to Omicron sub-types”.