UNVACCINATED OMICRON PATIENTS AT RISK FROM VARIANTS

According to South African researchers, infection with the Omicron form of the coronavirus improves the immune system’s ability to guard against other versions, but only in persons who have been vaccinated.

An Omicron infection gives very “minimal” protection against reinfection in unvaccinated adults, according to a study published in Nature on Friday.

The researchers tested the ability of immune cells to destroy not only Omicron but also earlier versions in 39 individuals with Omicron infections, including 15 who had been inoculated with vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech or Johnson & Johnson. Unvaccinated patients had 2.2-fold lower neutralisation of the first version of the Omicron variant, 4.8-fold lower neutralisation of the second Omicron sublineage, 12-fold lower Delta neutralisation, 9.6-fold lower Beta variant neutralisation, and 17.9-fold lower neutralisation of the original SARS-CoV-2 strain compared to vaccinated people 23 days after Omicron symptoms began. The difference in immunity between unprotected and vaccinated people is “concerning,” according to the researchers.

“Unvaccinated persons post-Omicron infection are likely to have poor cross-protection against existing and possibly developing SARS-CoV-2 variants, especially as immunity wanes,” they stated. “The inference could be that Omicron infection alone isn’t enough to protect against other variations, and vaccination should be given even in places where Omicron infection is common.”

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Different immunizations offer good protection against serious illnesses. COVID-19

According to a study of dozens of studies, whereas Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines create higher antibody levels to protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection, AstraZeneca’s viral-vector-based vaccination provides equal protection against hospitalisation and mortality from COVID-19.

For an AstraZeneca-funded study, a panel of Southeast Asian experts examined 79 previous papers. The panellists noted in a report released on Research Square ahead of peer review that both types of vaccines showed over 90% efficacy against hospitalisation and death.

“A high level of antibodies generated following COVID-19 vaccination is frequently regarded as a vaccine’s efficacy. In a statement, panel member Dr. Erlina Burhan, a lung disease specialist at the University of Indonesia, said, “While initial antibody response levels can differ across vaccinations, their effectiveness to avoid being hospitalised or dying from COVID-19 is equal.”

The findings show that decision-makers should utilise any vaccine type that is available and appropriate for their local situation, according to a spokeswoman for the panellists, and that people who have a choice of vaccine should know that the one they can receive the quickest is the best.

While Moderna’s mRNA shots provide slightly better protection against coronavirus infection than the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, “there are no differences in vaccine effectiveness for protection against hospitalisation, ICU admission, or death/hospice transfer,” according to a separate study published in Nature Communications.