WHO: The mixed immunity formed by infection with the new coronavirus and the vaccine has the strongest protection
UNICEF India Office/Kuldeep RohillaDoctors and health workers are the first batch in India to receive the new coronavirus vaccine people.
The World Health Organization said today that current evidence shows that the dual combination of immune protection caused by direct infection with the virus and the immune protection generated by vaccination is more protective than infection alone or vaccination alone. powerful.
The WHO made the above statement after listening to the opinions of the "Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization" and the " New Crown Vaccine Working Group".
There are uncertainties in various aspects of mixed immunity
The WHO emphasized that this conclusion is based on the results of research on infections involving variants of concern before the emergence of the traditional new coronavirus or the Omicron variant.
The organization noted that the duration of mixed immunity protection has not yet been fully determined, and it is unclear whether mixed immunity will continue to provide strong protection against new variants.
It is a reminder of the evidence that infection with Omicron provides limited protection against reinfection with Omicron subgroup variants.
The WHO said increasing vaccination rates remains a top priority. Countries and implementing partners should emphasize the urgent need to achieve this overarching goal, calling for all adults to be vaccinated, with a focus on health-care workers, people with immunocompromises and older adults, in line with the priority roadmap developed by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization.
It emphasized that vaccination with booster shots can increase the ability to protect against infection with Omicron.
The WHO stated that the "Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization" will continue to review new evidence as it emerges at any time.
WHOAfrican countries have obtained vaccines through the "COVID-19 Vaccine Access Mechanism".
AfricaThe number of deaths from COVID-19 will decline significantly
A model analysis study by the World Health Organization found that compared with 2021, the number of deaths from COVID-19 in Africa is expected to drop by nearly 94% in 2022. At the same time, the number of cases this year will also fall by a quarter.
An analysis published this week in the scientific journal Lancet Global Health found that although the African region reported 113,102 deaths in 2021 through official channels, about a third The death toll was omitted and the true death toll should be 350,000. The model analysis shows that if current mutation and transmission dynamics remain unchanged, approximately 23,000 people are expected to die by the end of 2022. However, the emergence of a mutation that is 200% more lethal would increase the death toll to more than 70,000 people.
The findings suggest that a large number of cases go unreported. Only one out of every 71 COVID-19 cases in Africa has been recorded.
analysis predicts that 1.662 billion people will be infected with the new coronavirus in 2022, while this number is estimated to be 2.275 billion in 2021. Improvements in cases and deaths in 2022 are due to increased vaccinations, improved outbreak response and natural immunity from previous infections. Although having COVID-19 does not prevent reinfection, it can prevent severe forms of illness and death. .
In 2021, COVID-19 constituted the seventh leading cause of death in Africa, second only to malaria. In 2020, COVID-19 ranked only 22nd in the ranking of causes of death in the region. The significant increase in deaths in 2021 is due to the spread of the Delta variant, which is more contagious and causes more severe disease.
