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World Service,2 mins

Covid-19: Does Omicron offer less immunity than previous variants?

Health Check

Available for over a year

New research has found that people who have been infected with the Omicron variant show poor 'immune boosting'. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic it has been widely assumed that people gain a natural immune boost following infection. However, researchers at Imperial College London have found that Omicron provides a poor natural boost of COVID-19 immunity against re-infection with Omicron itself, even in people who are triple-vaccinated. ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ News health reporter, Smitha Mundasad has been unpicking the data. She says “when someone has got the Delta or the Alpha [variants] those have affected the immune system, imprinted on their immune system in a way as to dampen their immune respond, their defences for the next time, so that their bodies can’t recognise Omicron as well, can’t attack it as well.' Photo: Montage graphic of a mutating virus Credit: Getty Images

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