Omicron infection better at upping immunity than boosters, claims study

Omicron infection better at upping immunity than boosters, claims study

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, May 16, 2022: As coronavirus continues to infect people across the world, the latest trends in India show that hospitalisation rates are very low and the recovery is faster. A new study now reveals that Omicron infections produced even better immune responses than a booster shot in vaccinated people.

 

The pair of studies hint that people who are vaccinated and then get infected by the Omicron variant may have better antibodies to deal with a vast range of Covid variants. The study conducted by vaccine maker BioNTech SE and the University of Washington reassures the world even as cases spike in several parts.

The study has been published in a preprint on the bioRxiv server. However, the authors of the study have warned people and cautioned that they shouldn’t seek out infections in response to the findings.

John Wherry, a professor and director of the Institute for Immunology at the University of Pennsylvania who reviewed the study told Bloomberg that breakthrough infections should be thought of as essentially equivalent to another dose of vaccine and that if someone had covid recently, they could wait before getting another booster shot.

The researchers have argued that offering people an omicron-adapted booster shot may be more beneficial than multiple ones with the original vaccines. "We are at the point where we may want to consider having a different vaccine to boost people," David Veesler, an assistant professor at the University of Washington told Bloomberg.

The researchers also identified antibodies in the nasal mucous of these patients, which could help them neutralize the virus as soon as it enters the body.

Meanwhile, the study also found that response was missing in unvaccinated people who had caught omicron as their first exposure to the virus and they warned that the remaining unvaccinated could be dangerous if a new variant that is significantly different emerges.

The new research comes against the backdrop of a massive surge in cases in countries like China and North Korea. Nearly a million people remain under strict lockdown in Shanghai. Authorities have, however, said that most of Shanghai have stopped the spread of coronavirus in the community. China reported 1,159 cases of infection on Monday, the vast majority in Shanghai. Almost all were infections without symptoms.

India reported 2,202 fresh cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, which is 11.5% lower than yesterday. The top five states which have registered maximum cases are Delhi with 613 cases, followed by Kerala with 428 cases, Haryana with 302 cases, Maharashtra with 255 cases, and Uttar Pradesh with 153 cases.

Courtesy: India Today