The individuals infected with the omicron variant have a substantial immune response which could neutralize not only Omicron but also the other variants of concern including Delta which has been the most prevalent finds a study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology Pune.
“This suggests that the immune response induced by the Omicron could effectively neutralize the Delta variant making the re-infection with Delta less likely, thereby displacing the Delta as dominant strain,” the study said. The study further called for an Omicron specific vaccine strategy in the country.
This study was conducted on 39 individuals, of which 28 were substantially from the foreign returnees (UAE, South/ West/ East Africa, Middle East, USA, and the UK) and 11 people were their high-threat connections verified as Omicron by sequencing.
The study assessed the Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and Negativing Antibody (NAb) response in people who has advanced COVID infections.
All individuals in this study were infected with the Omicron variant.
In this study, 25 individuals were vaccinated with two doses of Covishield, eight individuals had taken Pfizer’s double cure and six were unvaccinated individuals.
“Our study demonstrated substantial immune response in the individuals infected with Omicron. The neutralizing antibodies could effectively neutralize the Omicron and other VOCs including the most prevalent Delta variant,” the study said.
The research further noted that lesser participants in the un-vaccinated group and the shorter window period post-infection was the main limitation of this study.
“This could be the important reason for the low immune response specifically in the unvaccinated individuals against Omicron,” the study added.
