Frontiers in Immunology (Sep 2022)

Serial infection with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 following three-dose COVID-19 vaccination

  • Hope R. Lapointe,
  • Francis Mwimanzi,
  • Peter K. Cheung,
  • Peter K. Cheung,
  • Yurou Sang,
  • Fatima Yaseen,
  • Rebecca Kalikawe,
  • Sneha Datwani,
  • Rachel Waterworth,
  • Gisele Umviligihozo,
  • Siobhan Ennis,
  • Landon Young,
  • Winnie Dong,
  • Don Kirkby,
  • Laura Burns,
  • Victor Leung,
  • Victor Leung,
  • Victor Leung,
  • Daniel T. Holmes,
  • Daniel T. Holmes,
  • Mari L. DeMarco,
  • Mari L. DeMarco,
  • Janet Simons,
  • Janet Simons,
  • Nancy Matic,
  • Nancy Matic,
  • Nancy Matic,
  • Julio S.G. Montaner,
  • Julio S.G. Montaner,
  • Chanson J. Brumme,
  • Chanson J. Brumme,
  • Natalie Prystajecky,
  • Natalie Prystajecky,
  • Masahiro Niikura,
  • Christopher F. Lowe,
  • Christopher F. Lowe,
  • Christopher F. Lowe,
  • Marc G. Romney,
  • Marc G. Romney,
  • Marc G. Romney,
  • Mark A. Brockman,
  • Mark A. Brockman,
  • Mark A. Brockman,
  • Zabrina L. Brumme,
  • Zabrina L. Brumme

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.947021
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections are common among individuals who are vaccinated or have recovered from prior variant infection, but few reports have immunologically assessed serial Omicron infections. We characterized SARS-CoV-2 humoral responses in an individual who acquired laboratory-confirmed Omicron BA.1.15 ten weeks after a third dose of BNT162b2, and BA.2 thirteen weeks later. Responses were compared to 124 COVID-19-naive vaccinees. One month post-second and -third vaccine doses, the participant’s wild-type and BA.1-specific IgG, ACE2-displacement and virus neutralization activities were average for a COVID-19-naive triple-vaccinated individual. BA.1 infection boosted the participant’s responses to the cohort ≥95th percentile, but even this strong “hybrid” immunity failed to protect against BA.2. Reinfection increased BA.1 and BA.2-specific responses only modestly. Though vaccines clearly protect against severe disease, results highlight the continued importance of maintaining additional protective measures to counteract the immune-evasive Omicron variant, particularly as vaccine-induced immune responses naturally decline over time.

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