Two new studies offered promising news about the omicron variant of the coronavirus, suggesting that our bodies can still recognize the omicron variant after vaccination and previous infection.
- The two studies found that T-cell responses that come from COVID-19 vaccination and previous COVID-19 infections still recognize the omicron variant.
- These T-cell responses should still offer protection against serious COVID-19 disease, according to Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
The first study — published on medRxiv before peer-review — found that the T-cell responses from a previous COVID-19 infection and a COVID-19 vaccination remain robust against the omicron variant.
The second study — published on bioRxiv ahead of peer-review — found that the COVID-19 vaccine creates a T-cell response that remembers variants from alpha all the way through to omicron.
These studies come as researchers at Columbia University found the omicron variant of COVID-19 is “markedly resistant” to the current COVID-19 vaccines, antibody treatments and COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, as I wrote for the Deseret News.
- Dr. Craig Spencer, an emergency room doctor in New York, found through anecdotal information that response to the omicron variant can depend on your vaccine status. For example, those who received a third booster COVID-19 vaccine shot had mild COVID-19 symptoms.
- Meanwhile, those who had the original two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines had more of the mild symptoms than those who had three doses.