Recent laboratory findings imply that several new COVID-19 variants that are emerging in the United States and around the world may not be adequately protected by vaccines and past infections.
The Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center (ADARC) at Columbia University’s Dr. David Ho and his staff presented the findings of a number of studies at an ADARC symposium, The Time magazine reported.
They demonstrated the effectiveness with which some of the most recent variants—BQ.1, BQ.1.1, XBB, and XBB.1, which were all descended from Omicron—elude both vaccine- and infection-derived immunity.
The findings indicate that individuals with BA.2, BA.4, or BA.5 infections typically experienced the smallest decline in neutralizing antibody levels against BQ.1 and BQ.1.1.
However, individuals who received three doses of the original vaccine and one Omicron booster produced neutralizing antibody protection against XBB and XBB.1 that was only marginally superior to that of individuals who received three doses of the original vaccine.
While vaccines may lose some of their effectiveness against newer variants, public health experts claim that they still effectively shield people from severe COVID-19. There is preliminary evidence that vaccination-induced immunity may eventually result in the production of a wider variety of virus-fighting antibodies.
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