‘Reinfection risk low for 10 months after 1st bout’

LONDON/WASHINGTON: Previous Covid-19 infection substantially reduces the risk of a new infection for up to 10 months afterwards, according to a study of care home residents and staff by University College London (UCL) scientists.

The study, published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity on Thursday, found that care home residents who had been previously infected with Covid-19 were about 85% less likely to be infected between October and February than those who had not been infected. For staff, those with a past infection were around 60% less likely to become infected again.

“It’s really good news that natural infection protects against reinfection in this time period. The risk of being infected twice appears to be very low,” the study’s lead researcher, Maria Krutikov of the UCL Institute of Health Informatics, said.

“The fact that prior Covid-19 infection gives a high level of protection to care home residents

Ais also reassuring.”

The study involved 682 care home residents, with a median age of 86, and 1,429 staff in care homes.

Trump: China should pay the world $10 trillion

Former US president Trump has said that he was right when he first said the virus came from a lab in Wuhan. “Now everyone, even the so-called enemy, are beginning to say president Trump was right,” he said, referring to recent remarks from top US doctor Anthony Fauci.

Trump called for imposing a $10 trillion fine on China over the deaths and damage that Covid-19 has caused around the world.

Australia detects Delta variant in Victoria state

Australia’s Victoria state authorities said on Friday they have detected the highly infectious Delta variant of the virus for the first time in the latest outbreak in Melbourne, stoking concerns of a spike in cases. “It is a variant of significant concern,” Victoria state’s chief health officer Brett Sutton said.