“That is insanely high”: Experts are alarmed by the apparently very rapidly increasing viral load of the two confirmed Omicron infected people in Hong Kong. The fear: the virus variant could escape vaccination protection.
The two confirmed Omikron infected people in Hong Kong apparently have a very rapidly increasing viral load. The PCR tests of the two men, who were negative a few days earlier, showed a Ct value of 18 and 19.
“That is insanely high, especially when you consider that the two were still negative in the last PCR tests,” writes epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding, who did research at Harvard University for a long time. It looks as if the variant could actually escape vaccination protection, Feigl-Ding continued.
Infection with the Omikron variant despite quarantine isolation
According to the Hong Kong government, the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was introduced by a traveler from South Africa who had been in a quarantine hotel since arriving on November 11. Then on November 13th he tested positive.
It is assumed that the man infected a 60-year-old in the opposite room of the quarantine hotel, despite strict isolation. This tested positive on November 18th during its fourth PCR test. In both cases, later genome sequencing made it clear that they had been infected with the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
According to a statement by the Hong Kong government, the person entering from South Africa may not have worn an adequate face mask when he opened his hotel door to take food orders. This may be the reason for the infection despite quarantine isolation.
Source From: Stern
