According to new research, the most recent version of the extremely infectious omicron variant is spreading much faster than the original, and moderate instances of the first may not provide any protection against future infections.
The findings call into question predictions that the omicron wave sweeping the planet may assist speed the end of the epidemic. Globally, calls for governments to treat Covid-19 as an endemic, similar to influenza, are growing as people become tired of pandemic restrictions, vaccinations become more widely available, and mortality stay relatively low.
According to one article released online before peer-review by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, the development of neutralizing antibodies during an omicron infection appears to be connected to the severity of the sickness. According to the researchers, the milder form of most omicron infections in vaccinated persons may leave those who recover exposed to present virus and future varieties that evolve.
The study discovered that natural infection protection was around one-third of that achieved with a booster injection.
“Our results suggest that omicron-induced immunity may not be sufficient to prevent infection from another, more pathogenic variant, should it emerge in the future,” the researchers said. “They also highlight the continued importance of vaccine boosters in enhancing immunity, as breakthrough infection alone may not be reliable” in guarding against repeat infections or future sickness from new strains, the researchers said.
It found that 39 percent of persons infected with the BA.2 subvariant were likely to infect others in their families, compared to 29 percent of those infected with the original form. The study examined data from 8,541 homes in Denmark in December and January, when the new subvariant had become the prevalent strain.
The likelihood of infection with either kind was greater in individuals who had not been vaccinated, indicating a favorable benefit of vaccination, according to the researchers.
The findings back with research revealed last week by UK health officials that found the omicron subvariant to be significantly more infectious than the initial fast-spreading strain. According to the UK Health Security Agency, the investigation also revealed that booster injections continue to be an effective defense.
While BA.1 remains the most common kind worldwide, recent trends indicate that BA.2 is becoming more prevalent in several countries, including India, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Denmark, according to the World Health Organization last month.
Neither research was subjected to a comprehensive review by other experts, which is standard procedure before new findings are publicly published. Scientists from the University of Copenhagen, Statistics Denmark, the Technical University of Denmark, and Staten’s Serum Institute conducted the Danish study. Charles Chiu, of the University of California, San Francisco, headed the other.
According to Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, the omicron subvariant looks to be more infectious, but research so far does not demonstrate it is more deadly or that it evades vaccination protection. At worst, he warned on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” the strain might delay the reduction of omicron infections in the United States.