Delta attacks the unvaccinated and Omikron the vaccinated? The expert comments on the Internet reports

The discovery of a new variant of the coronavirus, Omicron, has caused considerable concern. It turned out that many vaccinated people suffer from COVID-19 caused by infection with Omikron. On this basis, it was theorized that this strain attacks people who have received the vaccine, while the so far dominant Delta are more vulnerable to the unvaccinated. Is such a situation even possible? We asked an expert about it.

1. Bow. Bartosz Fiałek believes that such a statement makes sense, but only on condition that we understand it properly
2. The expert emphasizes that although the virus variant does not choose who to attack, the mutation profile and the characteristics of a given strain mean that certain people may be at a higher risk of infection.
3. The above thesis became popular, among others thanks to the tweet circulating on the Internet, the author of which refers to the data of the German Robert Koch Institute. They show that in Germany 96 percent. people infected with Omikron are vaccinated
4. The institute itself responded to the matter, pointing out that an error had crept into the data
5. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

Correct interpretation is key

As the drug explains. Bartosz Fiałek, rheumatologist and promoter of medical knowledge about COVID-19, if this statement is properly understood, there is some truth in it.

– Being aware of the extent to which vaccinations protect against infection with a given variant, it can be concluded that they are highly effective against the Delta variant, but slightly less against the Omikron variant. This means that in people who are fully vaccinated and who took the booster and then fell ill, the infection will probably be caused by the Omikron variant, which is much better than the Delta variant to bypass the neutralizing antibodies generated after vaccination.

The expert explains that while Delta can cause reinfection and breakthrough infections, it does so much less frequently than Omikron. This is because Delta variant may be detected more frequently in unvaccinated people. But at the same time, these patients are also at risk of being infected with another lineage COVID-2.

However, in the case of people who have (full or partial) immunity against the coronavirus, the immune response is stronger against the Delta variant than Omikron, which can cause infection even in those who also took the booster, i.e. after three doses of vaccination.

The rest of the text is below the video.

– It is not immunologically surprising that a given variant behaves differently from the previous one. This is related to the mutation profile and the nature of the variant, i.e. infectivity, immune escape or pathogenicity. We cannot talk about the “affinity” of a given variant for a specific group of people, but looking at how a given variant behaves in a given environment, it can be said that unvaccinated people will also be exposed to the Delta variant infection, and those fully vaccinated with a booster or with hybrid immunity (vaccinated convalescents) may be infected with the Omikron variant and with a much lower likelihood of the Delta variant, the drug indicates. Bartosz Fiałek.

1. Who is most resistant to an Omicron infection? Interesting research results

The virus does not choose who it attacks

An example is illustrated by the doctor to answer the question why Omikron is also detected in vaccinated persons. It is about the effectiveness of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 against these two variants. Research shows that those vaccinated with three doses of Comirnaty can count on 95% protection against symptomatic disease caused by the Delta variant. In the case of Omikron, the effectiveness of the vaccine is already around 75%, so the risk of symptomatic infection increases, and significantly, by as much as one fifth.

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– A virus, or a specific variant, does not choose who it attacks. However, due to its characteristics and how it behaves in a given environment – at the global level, but also at the level of the individual immune response – there may be a situation in which some people are more likely to be infected with a given pathogen lineage. This group includes both the vaccinated and the unvaccinated – summarizes the expert.

Where did this theory come from?

The claim that Delta is infected by the unvaccinated and the vaccinated with Omikron, understood as zero-one (i.e. that the first variant applies only to unvaccinated people, and the second only affects the vaccinated). in posts on social media.

One of them is a post circulating on Twitter, the author of which claims: “The German government declares that 96 percent. cases of Omikron were found in the vaccinated ». In support of his thesis, the user presents a graphic with data from the German Robert Koch Institute (RKI), which publishes official data on infections in this country. They show that 69 percent. Germans infected with the new variant took two doses of the vaccine, and 27 percent. it is even after the booster. Only 4 percent. unvaccinated people were to be. These data come from the period between November 21 and December 27 last year.

This information was decided by the Deutsche Welle service. It turned out that although the graphics themselves did not come from the institute, it did Such data was actually provided by RKI in the weekly report of December 30, 2021. But there was a mistake in them. “Instead of 186, it mentions 1097 unvaccinated people infected with Omicron,” wrote a spokeswoman for the institute.

1. See also: Omicrons spread to asymptomatic? New research sheds light on the transmission of the virus

Vaccinated people test themselves more often?

The anti-vaccine agents also refer to the conclusions of Danish researchers who recently conducted a vaccine effectiveness study Pfizer and Moderna versus the Omikron variant. One Twitter user reports that the probability of an Omikron infection is 76,5 percent. higher in people vaccinated with BioNTech / Pfizer than in unvaccinated people – and by 39,3 percent. higher in people vaccinated with Moderna.

In a study not yet reviewed, vaccine efficacy was assessed by comparing infection rates in double-vaccinated and unvaccinated subjects. The analysis was performed in the first weeks after detection of the Omikron variant in Denmark.

The portal asked Christian Holm Hansene, the co-author of the study and an epidemiologist at the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, to comment on these findings. In his opinion, negative values ​​are a statistical error. The researcher also gives reasons why Omikron is often detected also in vaccinated people.

1. Check it out: Novavax vaccine strengthens immunity against Omicron. Soon it will go to Poland

– Vaccinated people are tested more often than unvaccinated people. In addition, only vaccinated and recovered people are allowed to travel or participate in events, which increases the likelihood of getting sick – explain.

Importantly, the Danish study did not distinguish which infections were mild and which were severe. Meanwhile, other studies, the results of which have been published so far, show that infection with Omikron in vaccinated people causes relatively mild symptoms and rarely requires hospitalization. And while it is true that the available COVID-19 vaccines are less effective against the new variant, they still offer very high protection against severe infection.

1. Also read: A third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine should be enough? Surprising words of an Israeli expert

The editorial board recommends:

1. «Omicron wave in 10-14 days». What awaits us? Sad forecasts for Poland
2. How long does the coronavirus live in the air? The first such study and important conclusions
3. Poles refuse compulsory vaccinations. It’s getting scary in these regions [MAP]
4. What are the symptoms of Omicron? How do you know when it is wrong? The doctor explains

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