The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 had the next transmissibility and unfold than any earlier variant, even amongst international locations with a excessive proportion of vaccinated people. To mitigate danger and Omicron unfold, researchers examined earlier infections, vaccination, and the danger of Omicron, in a examine revealed in JAMA Community Open.
Researchers discovered that hybrid safety—prior SARS-CoV-2 an infection and vaccination—may finest scale back the danger of Omicron, at nearly 50%. Amongst unvaccinated people, those that had been beforehand contaminated with extreme SARS-CoV-2 infections had extra safety in opposition to reinfection of Omicron.
“Total, sturdy and sustained safety from prior heterologous an infection in opposition to extreme Omicron outcomes, together with the absence of Omicron-associated deaths amongst survivors of prior an infection, appears to be a typical interpretation throughout the few obtainable research thus far, together with ours,” the examine authors wrote.
Prior SARS-CoV-2 an infection diminished the danger of hospitalization from Omicron by 80%. This % elevated to 94% in these with a hybrid safety of two doses, and 97% with hybrid safety of three doses.
Researchers carried out a test-negative case-control examine to look at the protectiveness of a earlier non-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 an infection in opposition to reinfection of Omicron. The researchers additionally seemed on the protectiveness of three doses of an ancestral, Wuhan-like messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine on members who had/had not earlier heterologous non-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 an infection.
Amongst a cohort of 696,439 sufferers, researchers recognized 4.2% of case members who had been beforehand contaminated with a SARS-CoV-2 variant that was not Omicron and 6.3% of the management group members had been contaminated with a non-Omicron pressure.
After wanting on the laboratory-confirmed instances and stratifying analyses by severity and time since main an infection and/or vaccine dose, researchers discovered that the danger of being reinfected with Omicron was diminished by 44% amongst nonvaccinated and prior contaminated people.
Vaccinated people had higher odds in opposition to reinfection with Omicron and safety elevated with every new vaccination. Members who had been beforehand contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 and acquired 1 dose of the vaccine had a 65% diminished fee of reinfection with Omicron. Having 2 doses lowered the danger of reinfection by 68% and three doses diminished the danger by a median of 83%.
“Prior an infection improved vaccine safety (and vice versa) through the Omicron interval,” the examine authors wrote.
People who weren’t beforehand contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 however who acquired vaccine doses decreased their danger by 20%, 42%, and 73% with every respective improve in dose.
The examine has limitations, notably as a result of researchers are believed to have underestimated the safety of prior infections. Moreover, the information could have decrease sensitivity to estimation biases. Lastly, the examine authors excluded specimens from revaccinated people inside 90 days of doses 2 and three.
“The findings of this examine recommend that vaccination with 2 or 3 mRNA vaccine doses amongst people with prior heterologous SARS-CoV-2 an infection offered the best safety in opposition to Omicron-associated hospitalization,” the examine authors wrote.
Reference
Carazo, Sara, Skowronski, Danuta, Brisson, Marc, et al. Estimated Safety of Prior SARS-CoV-2 An infection Towards Reinfection With the Omicron Variant Amongst Messenger RNA–Vaccinated and Nonvaccinated People in Quebec, Canada. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(10):e2236670. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.36670
