Hybrid immunity effective in containing spread of Omicron variant: Study

The hybrid immunity in Indian population is the one of the main reasons for the low death rate, compared to other countries,” Dr Shenoy told reporters in Kochi.
A girl being administered the Covid-19 vaccine | Express
A girl being administered the Covid-19 vaccine | Express

KOCHI: Hybrid immunity is effective in preventing the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, a recent study has revealed. According to its finding, hybrid immunity generated antibodies 30 times of that present in those who received two vaccine doses.

The research was headed by Dr Padmanabha Shenoy, a clinical immunologist and rheumatologist, with Dr Sakir Ahmed of the Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, as the co-researcher. The study included a cohort of around 2,000 patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases at the Centre for Arthritis and Rheumatism Excellence (CARE).

“The impact caused by omicron in India was very less compared to the crisis it created in countries like the US and the UK. The hybrid immunity in Indian population is the one of the main reasons for the low death rate, compared to other countries,” Dr Shenoy told reporters in Kochi.

Hybrid immunity is the immunity generated when a person with prior infection receives a vaccine. “While 60% of the patients who had received two vaccine doses were able to neutralise the original Wuhan strain of the virus, 90% of the people with hybrid immunity could neutralise the original strain. Even in the case of the Delta variant, the figures were almost similar,” he said.

The findings were published in Lancet Rheumatology last November. Regarding the Omicron variant, the study also revealed that patients who had two doses of either Covaxin or Covishield were unable to neutralise it. At the same time, 65% of the patients who had received a single dose of Covishield were able to neutralize the Omicron variant.

Protection wall
As more than 70% of Indians were infected with Delta during the second wave, and with 95% of the eligible population vaccinated with at least one dose, close to three-fourth of India’s population has hybrid immunity. This hybrid immunity wall is the reason India had a relatively minor third wave,” Dr Shenoy said.

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