New Delhi: India is witnessing a surge in Covid-19 infections in the past few weeks. Experts suggest that the surge highlights a high risk of infection by the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. Analysis by the researchers states that the antibody neutralisation of 120 people have been infected with the original SARS-CoV-2 strain, or with the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Zeta, or Omicron (sub-variant BA.1) variants. According to the press release of the University of Geneva, unlike its predecessors, Omicron is capable of evading antibodies generated by all other variants.
Moreover, the researchers from the University’s Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases, and the Geneva University Hospital have published their findings in Nature Communications.
In vaccinated individuals, the neutralisation capacity is reduced being far superior to natural immunity alone. This is the reason why Omicron is infected increasingly in people with vaccination, however, the rate of them being hospitalised is less, said the release.
The research was conducted with the research team taking blood samples from 120 volunteers who had been previously infected with one of the viruses, unvaccinated, vaccinated, and infected either before or after vaccination.
The study focussed on how proficiently the antibodies generated during the first infection can neutralise the different variants of SARS-CoV-2. “Omicron proved to be the most effective at evading pre-existing natural immunity, as well as, to a lesser extent, that induced by vaccination,” quoted researcher Benjamin Meyer in the press release.
Moreover, antibody levels against the original SARS-CoV-2 in vaccinated people are around 10 times higher than in those who have developed post-infection immunity. Also, the combination of the two, which is known as hybrid immunity, maintains a wide reactive antibody level.
It can be stated that the Omicron can shake the existing immunity and cause an infection. However, the hospitalisation and death rate due to Covid-19, including Omicron remains reduced after vaccination, as per the release. “ Nevertheless, SARS-CoV-2 retains an astonishing ability to mutate… Vigilance is still required, especially as the epidemiological curves have been rising sharply since the appearance of BA.5,” it quoted researcher Isabella Eckerle as saying.
