Omicron infections provide protection against new COVID-19 variants, says study
India TV NewsVaccinated people who were infected by the earlier Omicron subvariants have four times greater protection than vaccinated people who were not infected against the new variants like BA.5, finds a new study. The study indicates that previous infection in vaccinated people continues to confer immunity for the variants that are known for their ability to evade the immune response. "Vaccinated people who were infected by Omicron sub-variants BA.1 and BA.2 have a protection against infection with subvariant BA.5, in circulation since June, about four times greater than vaccinated people who were not infected at any time," said lead author Luis Graca from the University of Lisbon. Read: Healthcare for children in India: Where we stand and what's the road ahead "Infections in 2020 and 2021 that occurred through infection with earlier variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus also confer protection against infection for the more recent Omicron variant, although this protection is not as high as that of individuals infected with the BA.1 and BA.2 variants, at the beginning of 2022," Graca added.