Some good news: Breakthrough infections generate 'super immunity' to COVID-19, study suggests

[Tommy Carcetti]

So not only does being vaccinated make any breakthrough infection milder, it might protect you from subsequent infections. Cool.

https://news.ohsu.edu/2021/12/16/breakthrough-infections-generate-super-immunity-to-covid-19-study-suggests

Breakthrough infections greatly enhance immune response to variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, according to a newly published study from Oregon Health & Science University.

The laboratory results, published online ahead of print today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), reveals that a breakthrough infection generates a robust immune response against the delta variant. Authors say the findings suggest the immune response is likely to be highly effective against other variants as the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to mutate.

The study is the first to use live SARS-CoV-2 variants to measure cross-neutralization of blood serum from breakthrough cases.

“You can’t get a better immune response than this,” said senior author Fikadu Tafesse, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular microbiology and immunology in the OHSU School of Medicine. “These vaccines are very effective against severe disease. Our study suggests that individuals who are vaccinated and then exposed to a breakthrough infection have super immunity.”

[beaglelover]

1. That is great news! I've resigned myself to the fact that with Omicron we're all going to get

infected with COVID, so I look forward to my future super immunity!!

[berni_mccoy]

4. I had the same thought. Everyone is going to be exposed

And as long as you’re up to date on vaccine/boosters, you’re chance of getting severely is about 1 in a million. I would not want to be unvaccinated though.

[underpants]

2. Very good news.

Thanks.

[Ms. Toad]

3. Hopeful -

But I'd like to see a post-Omicron follow-up, since Omicron mutated far more than any earlier mutation.

[róisín_dubh]

5. Double vaxxed and had Delta in July/August.

Had my booster in November. I’m in the eye of the storm now (as I was in July): the UK.

My doctor joked in September that I’d have super blood. I guess we’ll see. I am very rundown from an awful semester of teaching, so I have no real plans to test fate. KN-95 everywhere I go.

[madville]

6. So the best way to be protected from COVID?

Is to get COVID lol, well that’s quite the conundrum j/k

[LisaL]

7. No, it's to get vaccinated, then get covid anyway.

Then you become super immune.

[madville]

8. What if I get COVID again after becoming super immune?

Has anyone achieved Double Super Immunity yet? It will probably come out of Israel after the fifth booster shot and second COVID infection. At some point you just gotta laugh about it.