Omicron infection in persons who have been fully vaccinated may end up supercharging their Covid-19 immunity.
Omicron infection in persons who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 may end up supercharging their immunity against board range of variants of the array virus even better than a booster shot, as per latest report based on early findings from two studies.
The suggestion comes for studies wherein Omicron infection showed development of a better immune response in comparison to what is enabled by a booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine. The results were posted on preprint server bioRxiv in past few weeks by research teams belonging to the University of Washington and vaccine firm BioNTech SE.
Reassuring for lakhs who caught Omicron?
The conclusion of the researches, which yet to be verified with proof on a broader set of people, gives hope and would come as good news for millions of people who caught the Omicron after vaccination across the world. Omicron variant was the dominant variant in India’s recent Covid-19 third wave in January this year. That wave saw less hospitalisations compared to the Delta variant which was behind the catastrophic second wave back in April-May 2021.
A reviewer of one of the studies stated that the evidence means that breakthrough infections should essentially be seen as similar to getting another vaccine jab. Such people also had better B cell response compared to those who had not been infected by received a booster dose, found the BioNTech study. It also revealed that such a response was not found in unvaccinated people who were infected with Covid-19 for the first time with Omicron variant.
The team for BioNTech research said that the evidence shows that a booster vaccine which is adapted for Omicron may benefit more instead of follow-up doses of the original vaccines used for the person. The Washington study showed that antibodies in people who have been vaccinated and then infected by Omicron outperformed other sub-sets. These antibodies were also found to have capability of defending against the Delta variant.
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Caution from the researchers
One of the authors of the study and University of Washington based principal scientist Alexandra Walls has asserted that the findings of the research do not in anyway mean that people should get infected.
Reviewers of the studies reportedly back the findings which is in line with evidence with the kind of immune response being documented in people who have caught the virus compared to vaccinated and unvaccinated people. A similar boosted immune response was also seen in research in people who had contracted the Delta variant of Covid-19.
READ | Are emerging Omicron variants cause for concern? Here’s what experts say
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