'Hybrid Immunity' may Help Elude COVID-19 Pandemic

'Hybrid' coronavirus exposure stirs high levels of immunity among the individuals who were vaccinated and also previously infected with the coronavirus.

Highlights:

COVID-19 vaccination may provide a “superhuman” immunity
Natural antibodies of a prior COVID-19 infection combine with those of the vaccines to give rise to a strong immune response – “Hybrid Immunity”
This hybrid immunity protects almost 100 times against all the variants of concerns and even future variants

Some people may have "superhuman" or "hybrid"immunity against Covid-19 as per a study at the Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, published in bioRxiv.

Data state that the individuals who were vaccinated and also earlier infected tend to possess this superhuman immunity. This extraordinary immunity renders more robust protection against not only current coronavirus variants, but also different strains of coronavirus in the future.

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‘Hybrid coronavirus exposure stirs high levels of immunity among the individuals who were vaccinated and also previously infected with the coronavirus. This extraordinary hybrid immunity renders more enduring protection against different strains of coronavirus even in the future. ’
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What is Hybrid Immunity?

Hybrid immunity, in general, is a blend of immunity gained from a natural infection as well as from vaccines.

It is seen as a powerful immune response during the pandemic that is developed by the body in response to hybrid exposure to the coronavirus through prior COVID-19 infection and subsequent vaccination.

This eventual process empowers the body to produce a very high level of flexible antibodies that hold the potential to defend both current and future variants.

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Study Evidence

The pre-print study reported that hybrid immunity in individuals was able to protect them by neutralizing almost six coronavirus variants of concern tested. This included even the Delta and Beta variants.

The study team specifically sketched a virus with almost 20 mutations to prevent SARS-CoV-2 antibodies from binding and resist neutralization. To the surprise, the team found that the hybrid-driven antibodies were able to combat the resistant virus too.

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Efficacy of the Antibodies

Although the antibodies from either vaccine or prior infection alone were deemed incompetent to fight off the virus, the hybrid immunity had efficiently neutralized it.

"One could reasonably predict that these people will be quite well protected against most—and perhaps all of—the SARS-CoV-2 variants that we are likely to see in the foreseeable future," says Paul Bieniasz, a virologist at Rockefeller University who helped lead the study.

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COVID-19 Vaccine

Vaccine skepticism gains a global concern around the world. Currently, mRNA vaccines and viral vector vaccines have acquired authorized emergency use approvals against COVID-19.

These vaccines comprise either the fragments of the virus strain or a specific form of spike proteins that mimic the actual virus. Once the individual gets vaccinated, the body's immune system identifies these inactive virus particles or spike protein similar to coronavirus exposure and prompts an immune response.

This commands to further development of antibodies against the virus and helps evade the infection when the body comes in contact with the actual SARs-COV-2 virus. The immune response also triggers inflammation during the process, which are seen as side effects.

What Vaccines Hold in Their Part?

These exclusive findings unveil the convincing potency of the mRNA vaccines as well. The study indicates how the antibodies emerge to become more potent and ubiquitous in terms of protection after the vaccination.

The study also affirms that it is still not conclusive if all the individuals who have had Covid-19 followed by subsequently mRNA vaccination hold similar immune responses. However, the immunity prevails to be quite common.

The hybrid immunity diminished the reinfection rate by more than two fold as per CDC. With such amazing responses to the vaccine, the authors conclude that these individuals with hybrid immunity hold the best position to fight the ever-changing mutant coronavirus.

Establishing Data

The present hypothesis on the hybrid immune response is also backed up by other studies, which include one published in the New England Journal of Medicine. This study reported that people once infected in 2002 or 2003 with SARS-CoV-1 had also generated high levels of neutralizing antibodies against coronavirus variants and other similar viruses after getting an mRNA vaccine.

Role of the Third Jab

Although the third dose of vaccines has shown better protection in certain groups, the study team leaves the stage open to discussion if a breakthrough coronavirus infection or an additional vaccine dose would produce hybrid immunity among those who were not infected previously.

It is predicted by the study that a third vaccine shot may help a person's antibodies to evolve even further. This was confirmed by the presence of rapid antibody evolution against different coronavirus variants of concern in people who were just vaccinated with two doses and no prior infection.

However, the evolution of the antibody has probably happened faster in people who had been previously infected and had their vaccination.

Overcome Coronavirus

It is established that the natural antibodies as a response to COVID-19 infection hold effective protection to some extent up to 6 months to a year.

But the admixture of COVID-19 vaccination contributes an additional layer of protection by skyrocketing up of immunity and thereby subduing the chance of reinfection from future strains.

Hence the health authorities promote all the recovered patients to get themselves vaccinated. The good news is that these results highlight the significance of the immune system in holding a powerful edge over the coronavirus.

This may ultimately help fight the pandemic and evade SARS-CoV-2 into a category of common cold viruses.

Source-Medindia