In a two-year study, scientists have discovered that people who had the COVID virus were then vaccinated, and people who have been triple vaccinated have a high quality and quantity of antibodies. This study was published in the Nature Medicine journal on Jan. 28, 2022.
The three encounters with COVID create a bond with high-quality antibodies that makes fighting the Omicron variant more effective.
These combinations include triple-vaccinated people, people who have recovered from COVID-19 and then had two vaccine doses, or double-vaccinated people who then had a breakthrough infection..
Scientists tracked individuals who contracted COVID during the first wave of the virus in Spring 2020 and compared them to those who had not been infected. Both groups were offered the mRNA-based BioNTech/Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and followed for two years. The group consisted of 98 recovered people versus 73 people without prior infection.
The bloodstream of each participant comprised of the concentration of antibodies to the viral spike protein, the binding strength of these antibodies, and their ability to neutralize infection of COVID variants in cell culture. According to the study, any three encounters with the virus created a spike in antibodies.
Triple-vaccinated people without prior COVID infection had almost the same concentration and quality of neutralizing antibodies against Omicron as vaccinated convalescents or people who had had a breakthrough infection, meaning an infection after being vaccinated, with Delta or Omicron.
In every case, the neutralization activity reached high levels compared with an increased bonding strength of the antibodies. Therefore, built-up immunity or vaccination-strengthened immunity is most effective in fighting future COVID variants.
Written by Jeanette Vietti
Sources:
The Jerusalem Post: Three COVID-19 vaccine-infection combinations create highest quality antibodies – study
Nature Medicine: Three exposures to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 by either infection or vaccination elicit superior neutralizing immunity to all variants of concern
The Jerusalem Post: Scientists infected volunteers with COVID-19 – here’s what they found
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Inline Image Courtesy of Davide Costanzo’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
