Researchers Say Infection Of The Omicron Variant Can Cause Reinfection Ability Of The Delta Variant To Decrease

Research illustration. (Unsplash/National Cancer Institute)

JAKARTA - Research by South African scientists shows that infection with the Omicron variant increases neutralizing immunity against the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, found people infected with the Omicron variant, especially those vaccinated, developed enhanced immunity to the Delta variant.

The analysis enrolled 33 vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals infected with the Omicron variant in South Africa.

As a result, the researchers found that the neutralization of the Omicron variant increased 14-fold for 14 days after data collection. They also found there was a 4.4-fold increase in the neutralization of the Delta virus.

"Increased neutralization of the Delta variant in individuals infected with the Omicron variant, may result in a decreased ability of Delta to re-infect these individuals", said scientists, citing Reuters on December 28.

Alex Sigal, a professor at the African Health Research Institute in South Africa said on Twitter on Monday that if the Omicron variant was less pathogenic as seen from the South African experience, "this will help push Delta out".

According to a previous South African study, there was a reduced risk of hospitalization and severe illness in people infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus compared to the Delta variant, although the authors say some of this may be due to the population's high immunity.

To note, the Omicron variant, first detected in southern Africa and Hong Kong in November, has spread worldwide and threatens to overwhelm hospitals and disrupt travel plans this holiday week.