HONG KONG (Dispatches) -- Scientists have found more evidence that the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can evade the immune protection conferred by vaccines and natural infection.
In a study carried out by a team of researchers from Columbia University Irving Medical Center , and scientists from the University of Hong Kong , they tested the ability of antibodies generated by vaccination to neutralize the omicron variant in laboratory assays that pitted antibodies against live viruses and against pseudoviruses constructed in the lab to mimic omicron. They realized antibodies from people double-vaccinated with any of the four most widely used vaccines -- Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson -- were significantly less effective at neutralizing the omicron variant compared to the ancestral virus. Antibodies from previously infected individuals were even less likely to neutralize omicron.
“The new results suggest that previously infected individuals and fully vaccinated individuals are at risk for infection with the omicron variant,” says Ho. “Even a third booster shot may not adequately protect against omicron infection, but of course it is advisable to get one, as you’ll still benefit from some immunity.”