World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan has said that vaccines are still proving to be effective against the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Although the case tally is going up exponentially in several countries, Swaminathan said the severity of the disease has not jumped to a new level.
She also highlighted that the Omicron variant is infecting both vaccinated and unvaccinated people across the world.
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Taking to Twitter, Swaminathan said, "As expected, T cell immunity holding up better against #Omicron. This will protect us against severe disease. Please get vaccinated if you have not." Either vaccines or prior infections with COVID prompt human T cell response.
Elucidating the factors that rationalise vaccine's effectiveness against COVID-19, Swaminathan, virtually at the WHO media briefing on Wednesday, said that the effectiveness of the vaccine varies a little bit between vaccines although the majority of all of the WHO Emergency Use Listing jabs have very high rates of protection against acute disease and death at least till the delta variant.
She added that the biological factors also decide a vaccine's effectiveness.
"It includes age, underlying illnesses and we know and proved it with all the variants that the older you are the more the underlying illnesses and co-morbidities the more vulnerable you are to get the disease," Swaminathan said.
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Pointing out the third factor which determines the effectiveness of the vaccine, the WHO chief scientist noted, "It is the time since vaccination and the waning of the immunity and we know that there is some amount of meaning but again there is more waning for infection against infectious and that is why we are seeing a lot of breakthrough infections now especially with Omicron because Omicron does have the capacity to overcome pre-existing immunity, and needs higher levels anti-bodies and protection."
Swaminathan further stated that the evidence of Omicron is just emerging and it would still be too soon to deduce definitely but all of the laboratory studies are indicating towards a reduction in neutralisation capacity.
She noted that what is clinically seen is that those who have already been vaccinated and those who have had prior infections are still getting breakthrough infections with Omicron.