Who is the most resistant to the Omikron variant?

It is known that we produce natural antibodies as a result of the passage of COVID-19. However, the coronavirus infection itself in the Delta variant, not supported by vaccination, gives us little protection against the Omicron. How inadequate, researchers from the Medical University of Innsbruck investigated it.

1. Previous COVID-19 infection does not provide adequate immunity before re-infection with the Omikron variant
2. This can be seen, for example, in the statistics of new cases in the world, and it is also confirmed by subsequent studies
3. The best protection against Omikron is provided by hybrid immunity, i.e. a combination of infection and vaccination against coronavirus, in any order
4. People who got COVID-19 first and then vaccinated are called ‘super immune’ by scientists
5. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

Omicron bypasses the immunity of convalescents

An earlier COVID-19 infection in the Delta variant does not provide adequate protection against re-infection with the Omikron variant. This is the result of subsequent studies, this time carried out by scientists from the Medical University of Innsbruck.

Researchers examined the blood of people who had had an infection with Delta and then Omikron. Only in one out of seven samples tested was the number of antibodies produced after the first infection sufficient to neutralize the virus in the new variant.

1. Omicron can be as mild as a cold. But on a condition

– This means that the antibodies did not recognize the Omicron as a threat due to its highly mutated version compared to the Delta variant. – the authors of the study assess.

Omicron superresistance – how to get it?

It was completely different in the case of people fully vaccinated, especially with Pfizer’s preparation.

After two doses of this vaccine, nine out of 20 samples had antibody counts high enough to fight the new variant of the coronavirus before it caused an infection. Studies involving blood samples of people who took two doses of Moderna showed that only one in 10 was effective at producing antibodies to Omikron. The same was the case with the preparation from AstraZeneka. The highest levels of antibodies were seen in people vaccinated with one dose of Pfizer and one dose of AstraZeneka – higher than those vaccinated with two doses of Pfizer.

1. How is the infection with Omikron done? Comparison with other mutations and a promising discovery

The best results in the study were blood samples taken from people who first had COVID-19 infection and then took the vaccine. The authors of the study called this group of people “super-resistant”. Very strong protection is also present in people who first got vaccinated and then became infected with COVID-19 (also reported by scientists from Portland), but it is slightly weaker than in the first variant (first infection, then vaccination).

However, the study was conducted on a very small number of people, so it can be “dangerous” to draw far-reaching conclusions, as Lawrence Young, a microbiologist at the University of Warwick in the UK put it. But in his opinion, it is proof of the importance of the booster dose.

– These results cannot be extrapolated to larger populations when assessing the immune protection of vaccinated persons. But they emphasize the value of booster vaccinations. They may have a similar effect as we saw with the “super-resistant” people in this study, Young said.

The rest of the text is below the video.

Super resistance is also given by a booster

Scientists from South Africa reported that Omikron breaks the post-infection immune response some time ago, where this variant first appeared. This was also suggested by the first studies conducted in Europe. Also, the scale of new infections in Great Britain and the United States may suggest that a previous infection does not provide adequate protection.

– We know that the convalescent antibodies precipitate much faster and they are directed against different fragments of the virus, so there are relatively fewer neutralizing ones. This is another confirmation that Omikron breaks down the immunity generated by the disease – said prof. Joanna Zajkowska from the Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections at the Medical University of Bialystok.

1. When will the Omikron wave come in Poland? Scientists’ forecast

The expert also confirms that «Super-immunity» against the new variant results in a combination of full vaccination and past infection. We can also get it by booster vaccination.

– Hybrid immunity, i.e. disease and vaccination, actually gives the best protection against Omicrons. However, there are large studies that show that the third dose of the vaccine, regardless of the type of preparation, increases immunity by 25 times and protects against further illness. Moreover, the disease is always associated with the risk of severe course, hospitalization and even death. Vaccines protect against all this – says prof. Zajkowska.

Also read:

1. How many NOPs have been recorded so far?
2. The five most common symptoms of Omikron infection [LIST]
3. What medications are better not to take before and after vaccination, and why?
4. A doctor from a covid hospital talks about the most difficult cases. “Young, unvaccinated are dying”

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