This is shown by the largest German vaccination study on COVID-19, which a research team from the Medical Faculty of the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) has been carrying out at the University Hospital Essen for over a year.

Under the leadership of the Institute for Pharmacogenetics (Director: Prof. Dr. Winfried Siffert) and the Institute for Virology (Director: Prof. Dr. Ulf Dittmer), more than 2,500 employees of the Essen University Medical Center were included in this study from spring 2021 and continuously examined.

Blood samples were taken regularly after the first, second and third vaccinations and the amount of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus was determined, the so-called antibody titer. In addition, the participants answered questions about their health and whether corona infections occurred despite vaccination.

The research team has now published its first study results in the renowned journal Frontiers in Immunology, which included data from 1,391 participants. In the period from the end of November 2021 to the beginning of March 2022, 102 people (7%) were infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant despite the booster vaccination. Most infections occurred in private settings and not at work in the hospital.

“The good thing about the news is that for all those infected, the illness only lasted a short time and was mild, similar to a cold. Nobody had to be treated in hospital. So we see confirmation that after a booster vaccination you are protected against a severe course despite infection.”

Prof. Dr. Winfried Siffert

The research team also investigated who was affected by a breakthrough infection.

“Age, gender, previous illnesses or the like did not play a role here. However, infected people had lower antibody titers compared to non-infected people, so they responded less well to the vaccination - why is the subject of further investigation.

Prof. Dr. Ulf Dittmer

The so-called neutralizing ability of the antibodies was also examined as part of the study. It measures how well the antibodies bind the virus and prevent it from infecting cells. Another difference was noticeable here: the blood serum of infected people was much less able to neutralize the Omicron virus variant than was the case with non-infected people. In addition to the lower number of antibodies, the cause is probably the nature of the antibodies. The Essen team also wants to examine this point in more detail in the future.

Original publication: Individuals With Weaker Antibody Responses After Booster Immunization Are Prone to Omicron Breakthrough Infections : doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.907343

Source: German Health Portal

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