According to a new study undergoing peer review at Nature Portfolio and posted on Research Square, unvaccinated patients infected with the Omicron variation are unlikely to generate immune responses that will protect them from other coronavirus variants.

Researchers discovered while analyzing blood samples taken after Omicron infection, that antibodies created by the Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 variations do not neutralize other versions of the virus which is done by antibodies induced by COVID-19 vaccinations or infections with earlier SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Omicron infected people had high levels of neutralizing antibodies against the two Omicron variantsafter three doses of the mRNA vaccines designed to neutralize earlier versions of the virus, but the efficiency against previous SARS-CoV-2 versions was reduced. But among people who had been vaccinated or who had a previous infection, very specific antibodieswere found against the respective Omicron variant but no neutralizing antibodies were detected for non-Omicron virus strains. Hence, the study stressed that booster vaccinations were important for immune protection. Source: (Medscape, April 19, 2022)