Catching Omicron might not protect you against other variants

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Omicron credit: Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity
Omicron credit: Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity

The Omicron BA.1 variant is extremely good at escaping the immune system, and if you are unvaxed and catch it the antibodies it generates might not protect you against other variants, according to new data. The researchers looked at the antibodies generated after Omicron infection in vaccinated and unvaccinated people, and those with and without previous infection. They found that unvaccinated people who are infected with the omicron BA.1 variant might not be sufficiently protected against infection with another variant and for full protection, vaccination is warranted.

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Research Massachusetts Medical Society, Web page Please link to the article in online versions of your report
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New England Journal of Medicine
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Organisation/s: Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria
Funder: Supported by the Institute of Virology of the Medical University of Innsbruck.
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