ABSTRACT
Shortly after the WHOs first notice a suspected case of omicron SARS-CoV-2 was reported in Liberec, Czech Republic. The primary goal of the following actions was to test the presence of the variant and stop the spread of the virus variant. On November 25 a sixty-year-old lady, who had recently returned from Namibia, visited a GP with flu-like symptoms and a rash on her chest. The antigen test was positive for SARS-CoV-2, a PCR test was planned. At that time, it was not known that a new variant of concern was spreading from Africa. On November 26 in the morning the GP announced a suspected omicron case to the Regional public health authority, who organized the following steps. A mobile sampling team was sent to the patient's home immediately, sample transported into the regional hospital and analyzed with the help of the national reference laboratory. The captured virus SARS-CoV-2 fitted the description of the omicron variant, was shared in the GISAID database and named hCoV-19/Czech Republic/KNL_2021-110119140/2021. Contact tracing was started immediately, eleven persons were tested and quarantined. One of them positive with no further spread. It is the first documented omicron case in the Czech Republic and one of the first cases in Europe, with an excellent systemic response to the alert. The laboratory was able to detect the omicron variant instantly after the request. This case also demonstrates how easily the virus spreads on long distances and how important it might be to increase the uptake of the booster vaccine.
ABSTRACT
In the Czech Republic, the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, occurred in the spring of 2020, peaking at the end of March. From March 1st to May 31st, a total of 9,230 people tested positive by PCR were detected. We assessed the prevalence of COVID-19 infections in employees of the National Institute of Public Health at the end of the first wave by detecting specific antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Voluntary testing for the presence of IgA and IgG antibodies was performed by ELISA tests using Euroimmun SARS-CoV-2 IgA and Euroimmun SARS-CoV-2 IgG semi-quantitative commercial assays. The participants answered a questionnaire regarding symptoms of an acute respiratory infection in the last quarter and known contact with COVID-19 infection. A total of 78 out of 270 persons (29%) experienced symptoms of acute respiratory infection, 7 (2.6%) lost the olfactory sense or taste and 15 (5.6%) were in contact with an infected person. The first sampling was performed between April 6th and May 22nd, 2020. A total of 270 employees were tested, of which 224 (83%) were women. The IgA and IgG antibodies SARS-CoV-2 were positive or borderline in 31 subjects. The second sample was taken from 30 of them and the third sample was from taken two persons several weeks apart. Based on the dynamics of the antibodies, 10 (3.7% of the whole group) were evaluated as seropositive, in whom we indirectly infer a past SARS-CoV-2 infection. A total of 246 people had negative serology (of which 239 based on the first sample and 7 based on the second one). In 14 people it was not possible to determine whether an infection occurred, i.e. the result was evaluated as inconclusive. The positive association of persistent seroconversion in the symptomatic subjects compared to the asymptomatic ones was statistically insignificant with a relative risk of 1.61 (95% CI: 0.47–5.54), p = 0.449. © 2021, Czech Medical Association J.E. Purkyne. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Reports of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections are on the rise. This study focused on reinfections in patients with confirmed COVID-19 in the Czech Republic. Between 1 March 2020 and 9 November 2020, 362 084 cases with the onset of symptoms before 31 October 2020 were reported. Overall, 28 cases of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 reinfections were identified, 11 in males and 17 in females, age range 25-80 years, median age 46 years. The interval between the first and second episodes of the disease ranged from 101 to 231 days, and the median interval was 201.5 days. During both symptomatic episodes, all patients have been tested by RT-PCR. Altogether 26 patients (92.9%) have been tested negative after recovery from the first episode of COVID-19. Symptomatic reinfections occurred in nearly 0.2% of all patients at risk. Most patients with reinfection had mild symptoms in both episodes, and only three episodes were moderate to severe. Thus, reinfections may have been underdiagnosed. In summary, COVID-19 reinfections are possible and not exceptional.