Dr. Karagiannis: Why are people who have recently become ill re-infected?

"Those who need a fourth dose are the immunosuppressed who do not respond very well to the vaccines"

1234567 8 Andreas Karagiannis, Vaccination, Relapses, Cases, Omicron Mutation

The cases in Cyprus seem to be around 2,5 thousand, with the possibility of relaxation being possible.

Speaking on the front page, Dr. Petros Karagiannis stated that Omicron seems to have prevailed in Cyprus at almost 96-97%.

"There is still Delta in the community and I'm sure most of the deaths we see now are due to the Delta executive and not to Omicron. This will be seen in the next identification results as well ", explained Dr. Karagiannis.

Asked about the possibility of relaxation, he said that some relaxations can be adopted.

"The de-escalation is rapid. We have climbed to a level and beyond that we have to wait longer for the cases to fall below.

This worries me because if we have a particular transmission in the community there is a risk that the virus will mutate more.

On the other hand, this strain seems to cause re-infections in people who have become ill very recently. "We have not seen this in the past to such an extent, that is, someone being re-infected with the same strain," said Dr. Karagiannis.

He went on to say, "It seems that the immune response in some people is not very strong so that if it is re-exposed the person will prevent the infection. "These people are re-infected and have symptoms that are mild," he said.

"In those who have been vaccinated, some who have been vaccinated twice have been re-infected but not those who have been triple-vaccinated."

In closing, he spoke about the possibility of administering a fourth dose, saying that the fourth dose was discussed last time and yesterday and as it was informed, it will be discussed in the vaccination committee, but they are also waiting for the decisions from Coreper.

"The general perception is that those who need a fourth dose are the immunosuppressed who do not respond very well to the vaccines," said Dr. Karagiannis.