Why an Omicron infection alone might not offer the immune boost you’d expect – CBC

Early study findings offer ‘good news’ of stronger immune response post-infection among vaccinated

Feb 03, 2022

In the span of just weeks, millions of Canadians became infected with SARS-CoV-2. Globally, more cases were reported in the first 10 weeks after the Omicron variant was identified than in all of 2020.

It was a mass infection event quite unlike anything we’d seen in the pandemic to date, hitting both the unvaccinated and vaccinated — but not in the same way.

While vaccinated and boosted individuals largely avoid dire outcomes from COVID-19, data continues to show that unvaccinated individuals remain at a far higher risk of serious illness, hospitalization, and death.

Emerging evidence also suggests high infection rates won’t necessarily translate into widespread protection against re-infections down the line — unless you’re layering Omicron exposure onto the broader immunity provided by vaccines.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/omicron-immunity-1.6336958