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AuthorJ. Abu-Raddad, Laith
AuthorChemaitelly, Hiam
AuthorH. Ayoub, Houssein
AuthorCoyle, Peter
AuthorA. Malek, Joel
AuthorA. Ahmed, Ayeda
AuthorA. Mohamoud, Yasmin
AuthorYounuskunju, Shameem
AuthorTang, Patrick
AuthorAl Kanaani, Zaina
AuthorAl Kuwari, Einas
AuthorA. Butt, Adeel
AuthorJeremijenko, Andrew
AuthorHassan Kaleeckal, Anvar
AuthorNizar Latif, Ali
AuthorMohammad Shaik, Riyazuddin
AuthorF. Abdul Rahim, Hanan
AuthorK. Nasrallah, Gheyath
AuthorM. Yassine, Hadi
AuthorGhaith Al Kuwari, Mohamed
AuthorEid Al Romaihi, Hamad
AuthorH. Al-Thani, Mohamed
AuthorAl Khal, Abdullatif
AuthorBertollini, Roberto
Available date2022-09-02T08:41:56Z
Publication Date2021
Publication NamePLoS Medicine
Identifierhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003879
CitationAbu-Raddad, L. J., Chemaitelly, H., Ayoub, H. H., Coyle, P., Malek, J. A., Ahmed, A. A., ... & Bertollini, R. (2021). Introduction and expansion of the SARS-CoV-2 B. 1.1. 7 variant and reinfections in Qatar: A nationally representative cohort study. PLoS medicine, 18(12), e1003879.‏
URIhttp://hdl.handle.net/10576/33632
AbstractBackground The epidemiology of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 (or Alpha) variant is insufficiently understood. This study’s objective was to describe the introduction and expansion of this variant in Qatar and to estimate the efficacy of natural infection against reinfection with this variant. Methods and findings Reinfections with the B.1.1.7 variant and variants of unknown status were investigated in a national cohort of 158,608 AU individuals: IntheAbstract with prior ; youmightwanttogivethecohortsizesofindividualsactuallyfollo PCR-confirmed infections and a national cohort of 42,848 antibody-positive individuals. Infections with B.1.1.7 and variants of unknown status were also investigated in a national comparator cohort of 132,701 antibody-negative individuals. B.1.1.7 was first identified in Qatar on 25 December 2020. Sudden, large B.1.1.7 epidemic expansion was observed starting on 18 January 2021, triggering the onset of epidemic’s second wave, 7 months after the first wave. B.1.1.7 was about 60% more infectious than the original (wild-type) circulating variants. Among persons with a prior PCR-confirmed infection, the efficacy of natural infection against reinfection was estimated to be 97.5% (95% CI: 95.7% to 98.6%) for B.1.1.7 and 92.2% (95% CI: 90.6% to 93.5%) for variants of unknown status. Among antibody-positive persons, the efficacy of natural infection against reinfection was estimated to be 97.0% (95% CI: 92.5% to 98.7%) for B.1.1.7 and 94.2% (95% CI: 91.8% to 96.0%) for variants of unknown status. A main limitation of this study is assessment of reinfections based on documented PCR-confirmed reinfections, but other reinfections could have occurred and gone undocumented. Conclusions In this study, we observed that introduction of B.1.1.7 into a naïve population can create a major epidemic wave, but natural immunity in those previously infected was strongly associated with limited incidence of reinfection by B.1.1.7 or other variants. Copyright: © 2021 Abu-Raddad et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Languageen
PublisherPublic Library of Science
Subjectcohort analysis
TitleIntroduction and expansion of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant and reinfections in Qatar: A nationally representative cohort study
TypeArticle
Issue Number12
Volume Number18
dc.accessType Open Access


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