As the omicron surge dissipates and health experts brace for the next variant, some are considering how people's immune response has since adapted, particularly with antibodies.
For people who are vaccinated, there is a chance of a mild experience of illness if they come into contact with someone with omicron.
It's those who are unvaccinated that have reason to be concerned about their immune response, as the daily death toll reaches, on average, 2,500, and almost all are unvaccinated, said Dr. John Moore, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Cornell University on KCBS Radio's "Ask an Expert" with Holly Quan and Eric Thomas on Monday.
"We can't think of omicron as a mild, pussycat of a virus," he said. "It kills people."
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But it doesn't kill vaccinated people, he noted. "That's the key difference," said Moore. It's still unclear how beneficial it is for vaccinated people's immunity if they get the virus, he said.
The immunity gained from the vaccine does wane, as is now common knowledge. The antibody levels diminish by about half every month or so, in subsequent months after vaccination, said Moore. "After about five or six months, they've dropped to a level that gives less protection against reinfection," he said.
That's where boosting comes in. And people who were infected last year with delta or alpha can still get infected with omicron, said Moore.
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Those who are unvaccinated and wind up getting the virus should still get vaccinated and boosted, he said. But people shouldn’t be looking for this hybrid immunity as the answer to the virus. "Don't go out and seek omicron infections because there will be, for some people, adverse consequences," he said. "It's not possible to predict."
"We don't want to see omicron infection parties," said Moore. "That's a really bad idea."
What people should be focusing on is getting vaccinated. The United States has a higher death rate and lower vaccination rate than its peers, he said. "There are good estimates that the refusal to be vaccinated cost around, 150,000 and 200,000 Americans their lives last year."
This tragedy is a direct result of the disinformation being touted online about the vaccine, said Moore.
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