Good Lifestyle

Selagioriginal Omicron variant's spread might have fallen significantly in the U.S. over the past few months, it hasn't exactly vanished. At least four Omicron subvariants are circulating around the country right now, according to New York Majalah: BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the dominant subvariant right now is BA.2, but BA.2.12.1 is quickly gaining its own foothold as cases climb. In just the last week, infections have increased by more than 30 percent in the U.S., according to the CDC. But two recent studies have given new insight into how protected you are from Omicron and its subvariants. Read on to find out more about the latest research.

Baca ini selanjutnya:Dr. Fauci Just Gave This New Warning to All Americans—Even the Boosted.

Even as other mitigation measures have been stripped back, officials across the U.S. are still pushing one major form of defense against Omicron and its subvariants: COVID vaccines. "COVID-19 vaccines remain the best public health measure to protect people from COVID-19 and reduce the likelihood of new variants emerging," the CDC says. "This includes primary series, booster shots, and additional doses for those who need them."

Anyone over the age of 12 is eligible for at least three COVID shots (with two initial mRNA shots and a booster), while the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just authorized a second booster for adults 50 years and older who had their initial booster shot at least four months prior. Since immunity gained from the vaccines wanes over time, at least one booster is required for you to be considered up-to-date on your COVID vaccines, according to the CDC.

"The booster shot is effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19, including the Omicron variant," Daniel Varga, MD, Hackensack Meridian Health's chief physician executive, confirmed during the height of the original Omicron's surge in late Jan. 2022. "While we have seen more breakthrough infections with Omicron, we're seeing that the booster dose definitely influences the severity of the infeksi."

While vaccines and boosters are important tools against COVID, some people may be even more protected through other means. Two new studies show that a breakthrough infection might be more effective at keeping vaccinated people safe than a second booster shot, Harta benda reported.

The first study, which was preprinted April 1 on the bioRxiv server, comes from the German partner behind the Pfizer vaccine, BioNTech SE. According to the study, vaccinated individuals who had breakthrough Omicron cases showed a better B-cell response than those who were boosted but had not been infected. B cells are a type of white blood cell that help your immune system create antibodies in order to fight off infection, Verywell Health explains.

For the other study, researchers from the University of Washington compared blood samples of those who had been vaccinated and then had a Delta or Omicron infection with the following groups: those who had been infected first and then vaccinated, those who had been vaccinated but never infected, and those who had been infected but never vaccinated. According to the study, which was preprinted May 10 on bioRxiv, vaccinated people with breakthrough Omicron cases produced the most protective antibodies against other variants of the virus.AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

TERKAIT:Untuk informasi terbaru, daftar untuk buletin harian kami.

These two studies indicate that the millions of vaccinated people who were infected with the Omicron will likely not become severely sick from another variant any time soon, Bloomberg reported. "We should think about breakthrough infections as essentially equivalent to another dose of vaccine,"John Wherry, PhD, a professor and director of the Institute for Immunology at the University of Pennsylvania who wasn't involved in either study but reviewed the BioNTech study, told the news outlet.

Menurut Wherry, ini berarti jika Anda memiliki Covid baru -baru ini, Anda bisa menunggu sebelum mendapatkan bidikan booster lain - bahkan jika Anda sudah memenuhi syarat untuk mendapatkannya. Peneliti lain mengatakan bahwa studi ini menunjukkan bahwa AS berpotensi perlu mengubah upaya vaksinasi. "Mungkin ini merupakan indikasi bahwa booster yang diperbarui mungkin merupakan ide yang bagus,"Theodora Hatziioannou, PhD, seorang ahli virologi di Universitas Rockefeller, mengatakan kepada Bloomberg.

CDCmemperbarui panduan vaksinnya Pada 13 Mei, mengubah rekomendasinya untuk sekarang menyarankan beberapa orang untuk mempertimbangkan menunggu booster kedua. Di bagian baru berjudul "Jika Anda memenuhi syarat, dapatkah Anda menunggu?," Agensi mengatakan bahwa orang -orang yang memenuhi syarat yang memiliki Covid dalam tiga bulan terakhir bisa menunggu untuk mendapatkan dosis keempat. Anda juga harus mempertimbangkan menunggu booster tambahan ini jika Anda merasa bahwa mendapatkannya sekarang akan membuat Anda cenderung ingin mendapatkan booster lain di masa depan, menurut CDC.

"Booster kedua mungkin lebih penting pada musim gugur 2022, atau jika vaksin baru untuk varian COVID-19 di masa depan menjadi tersedia," kata CDC sekarang. Sementara agensi tidak menguraikan mengapa dosis tambahan mungkin lebih penting akhir tahun ini, banyak ahli termasuk penasihat Covid Gedung PutihAnthony Fauci, MD, telah memperingatkan bahwa AS dapat melihatLonjakan Covid utama lainnya di musim gugur.

Baca ini selanjutnya:Booster tidak akan melindungi Anda dari omicron jika Anda telah melakukan ini, studi menemukan.