Highlights
- Study analysed probability of vaccinated people infected with Omicron BA.5
- People infected by first Omicron subvariants are 4 times protected: Study
- Researchers had access to the registry of COVID-19 cases in Portugal
Washington: Vaccinated people who were infected by the first Omicron subvariants have four times greater protection than jabbed people who did not catch the COVID-19 infection, according to a study. The research, published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine, analysed the probability of vaccinated people becoming infected with the subvariant BA.5 currently in circulation. The researchers in Portugal estimated the degree of protection conferred by infections with previous variants and used real-world data.
Vaccinated people who were infected by Omicron subvariants BA.1 and BA.2 have a protection against infection with subvariant BA.5, in circulation since June, about four times greater than vaccinated people who were not infected at any time, said Luis Graca, a professor at the University of Lisbon.
Also Read: Omicron-Specific Vaccine Expected In Six Months: Serum Institute’s Adar Poonawalla To NDTV
“Infections in 2020 and 2021 that occurred through infection with earlier variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus also confer protection against infection for the more recent Omicron variant, although this protection is not as high as that of individuals infected with the BA.1 and BA.2 variants, at the beginning of 2022,” said Grace, co-leader of the study.
These results are very important because the adapted vaccines that are in clinical development and evaluation are based on the BA.1 subvariant of the virus, which was a dominant variant in infections in January and February 2022, the researchers said.
Until now, it was not known what degree of protection this subvariant provides against the strain that is currently in circulation, they said.
Also Read: “New COVID Sub-Variant In Delhi Evading Antibodies”: WHO Chief Scientist To NDTV
The researchers had access to the registry of COVID-19 cases at Portugal’s national level.
We used the Portuguese national registry of COVID-19 cases to obtain information on all cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the population over 12 years of age residing in Portugal, said Manuel Carmo Gomes, associate professor at the University of Lisbon.
“The virus variant of each infection was determined considering the date of infection and the dominant variant at that time. We considered the infections caused by the first variants of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 together”, Manuel Carmo Gomes said.
The researchers then analysed the probability of a person that was previously infected to be reinfected with the current variant, which allowed them to calculate the percentage of protection provided by previous infections.
The study demonstrates that previous infection in vaccinated people continues to confer for the variants that are known for their ability to evade the immune response, such as the subvariant currently dominant, they added.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
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