HYBRID IMMUNITY - SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
News: Hybrid
Covid immunity offers more cover than infection, says study
What's in the news?
● According
to a meta-analysis published in “Lancet
Infectious Diseases”, the hybrid
immunity from a previous infection coupled with vaccination - offers a
“higher magnitude and durability” of protection against severe Covid than an
infection alone.
Key takeaways:
● The
study shows that hybrid immunity,
coupled with primary vaccine doses, was effective in preventing severe disease
and hospital admission in 97.4 per cent of participants up to 12 months.
● The
other key recommendation of the study is to roll out booster drives whenever an
increase in number of infections is expected.
Hybrid Immunity:
● It
is natural immunity from an infection
combined with the immunity provided by the vaccine.
● The
immunological advantage from hybrid immunity arises mostly from memory B cells.
● In
the case of Covid-19, hybrid immunity is when someone recovers from a Covid
infection before getting vaccinated.
Memory B cells:
● These
cells live in the body for a long time,
even after all the viruses from the first infection have been destroyed.
● They
stay in the ready-mode to quickly recognize and attack any returning viruses or
bacteria.
Breakthrough Infection:
● A breakthrough
infection is an infection with a virus,
bacterium or other germs after one has been vaccinated.
● In
the case of Covid, vaccine breakthrough infection happens when a fully
vaccinated person gets infected with COVID-19.