NEW DELHI: Antibodies generated by Omicron, which is propelling the current wave of Covid-19, are effective against other variants of concern, a latest ICMR-backed study has said.
The study conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology of Pune said, “Individuals infected with Omicron have a significant immune response which could neutralise not only Omicron but also other variants of concern, including the most prevalent Delta variant,” said the study, which is a pre-print and not peer-reviewed.
“This suggests that the immune response induced by Omicron could effectively neutralise the Delta variant, making reinfection with Delta less likely. This emphasises the need for Omicron-specific vaccine strategy,” said the researchers.
It suggests that the immune response induced by the Omicron could effectively neutralise the Delta variant, making the re-infection with Delta variant less likely, thereby displacing the Delta as dominant strain, the study said emphasising upon the need for Omicron-specific vaccine strategy.
The study was conducted on 39 individuals, of which 25 had taken both the doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, eight people had taken double dose of Pfizer jab, while six were unvaccinated.
Also, 28 of these 39 were mainly foreign returnees from the UAE, South/West/East Africa, Middle East, the US and the UK, and 11 people were their high-risk contacts.
All these individuals were infected with Omicron variant.
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The study assessed the IgG antibody and Neutralizing Antibody (NAb) response in the people with breakthrough and natural COVID-19 infections.
"Our study demonstrated substantial immune response in the individuals infected with Omicron. The neutralizing antibodies could effectively neutralize the Omicron and other variants of concern (VOCs), including the most prevalent Delta variant," the study stated.
The main limitation of this study are lesser participants in the unvaccinated group and the shorter window period post infection.
This could be the important reason for the low immune response specifically in the unvaccinated individuals against Omicron, the scientists stated.
The study has been conducted by ICMR scientists, including Pragya D Yadav, Gajanan N Sapkal, Rima R Sahay and Priya Abraham.
It is yet to be peer-reviewed and has been released on bioRxiv preprint server on January 26.
(With PTI Inputs)