Significant Rise in SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection Rate in Vaccinated Hospital Workers during the Omicron Wave: A Prospective Cohort Study

ABSTRACT Background: Relatively low SARS-CoV-2 reinfection rates have been reported in vaccinated individuals, but updates considering the Omicron variant are lacking. Objective: The objective of the study was to provide a current estimate of the SARS-CoV-2 reinfection rate in a highly immunized population. Methods: A prospective cohort of Mexican hospital workers was followed (March 2020-February 2022). Reinfection was defined as the occurrence of two or more episodes of COVID-19 separated by a period of ≥ 90 days without symptoms. The reinfection rate was calculated as the number of reinfection episodes per 100,000 persons per day. Results: A total of 3732 medical consultations were provided to 2700 workers, of whom 1388 (51.4%) were confirmed COVID-19 cases. A total of 73 reinfection cases were identified, of whom 71 (97.3%) had completed their primary vaccination series and 22 (30.1%) had had a booster dose before the second episode. The overall reinfection rate was 23.1 per 100,000 persons per day (as compared to a rate of 1.9 per 100,000 persons per day before the Omicron wave). Conclusions: The SARS-CoV-2 reinfection rate rose significantly during the Omicron wave despite a high primary vaccination coverage rate. Almost one-third of reinfected workers had a vaccine booster ≥ 14 days before the last COVID-19 episode.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ochoa-Hein,Eric, Leal-Morán,Patricia E., Nava-Guzmán,Karen A., Vargas-Fernández,Abril T., Vargas-Fernández,José F., Díaz-Rodríguez,Fabricio, Rayas-Bernal,Joel Armando, González-González,Ricardo, Vázquez-González,Pavel, Huertas-Jiménez,Martha A., Rajme-López,Sandra, Ramos-Cervantes,Pilar, Ibarra-González,Violeta, García-Andrade,Luis A., Ledesma-Barrientos,Fernando, Ponce-de-León,Alfredo, Sifuentes-Osornio,José, Galindo-Fraga,Arturo
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán 2022
Online Access:http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-83762022000400175
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