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A recent study shows apart from those who have taken the third dose of COVID vaccine, higher levels of antibodies against Omicron were also found in individuals who received two doses of vaccine and also had the infection earlier.
Researchers from Francis Crick Institute and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), UK, analysed 620 blood samples from 364 people who enrolled in the study.
How effective is the third dose against Omicron?
As per the study, antibodies generated from two vaccines dose were less able to neutralise Omicron as compared to Alpha and Delta variants. In fact, the antibody levels drops off in the first three months following the second dose.
But a third ‘booster’ dose raised levels of antibodies that effectively neutralise the Omicron variant.
It also showed that the overall antibody levels were nearly 2.5 times higher against Omicron after three doses compared to after two jabs.
"People who have queued outside vaccinations centres should be reassured that a vaccine booster is the best way of protecting them from Omicron," said Emma Wall, an infectious diseases consultant at UCLH Biomedical Research Centre of NIHR.
"And for people who haven't yet had a booster or even a first dose, it's not too late," Emma said in a statement.
What about those who had already had COVID?
Higher levels of antibodies against Omicron were also found in people who received two doses of vaccine and also reported previously having COVID-19 symptoms, compared to those who didn't have disease symptoms in past.
A third dose builds our defences higher!
Considering Omicron has considerably more mutations than other recent variants, such as Alpha and Delta, the study shows that the boosters push the immune system to make a broad response capable of tackling it.
"This new variant can overcome the immune blockade put in place by two vaccine doses, but thankfully following the third dose, neutralising activity is robust in the vast majority of people," Wall said.
"A third dose builds our defences higher, making it harder for the virus to cause severe COVID-19," she explained.
The study is based on candidates who have taken either AstraZeneca or the Pfizer vaccine.
(With inputs from agencies)
