Research by South African scientists suggests that Omicron infection enhances neutralizing immunity against the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
The study, which was not peer-reviewed, found that people infected with Ômicron, especially those who have been vaccinated, developed enhanced immunity to the Delta variant.
The analysis involved 33 vaccinated and unvaccinated people who were infected with the new variant discovered in South Africa.
Although the authors found that Ômicron neutralization increased 14-fold in 14 days after enrollment, they also found that there was a 4.4-fold increase in Delta variant neutralization.
“Increased neutralization of the Delta variant in individuals infected with Ômicron may result in its ability to reinfect those individuals diminished,” said the scientists.
Alex Sigal, a professor at the African Health Research Institute in South Africa, said on Twitter on Monday that if the Ômicron variant is less pathogenic than it appeared in the South African experiment, “it will help drive out Delta ”.
According to an earlier South African study, there is a reduced risk of hospitalization and serious illness in people infected with the new variant coronavirus compared to Delta, although the authors say that part of this is likely due to the population’s high immunity.
The Ômicron variant, first detected in South Africa and Hong Kong in November, has spread around the world and threatened to overload hospitals and disrupt travel plans this holiday week, with thousands of flights canceled around the world.
Reference: CNN Brasil
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