Immune boosting by B.1.1.529 ( Omicron) depends on previous SARS-CoV-2 exposure

The Omicron, or Pango lineage B.1.1.529, variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) carries multiple spike mutations with high transmissibility and partial neutralizing antibody (nAb) escape. Vaccinated individuals show protection against severe disease, often attributed to primed cellular immunity. We investigated T and B cell immunity against B.1.1.529 in triple BioNTech BNT162b2 messenger RNA-vaccinated health care workers (HCWs) with different SARS-CoV-2 infection histories. B and T cell immunity against previous variants of concern was enhanced in triple-vaccinated individuals, but the magnitude of T and B cell responses against B.1.1.529 spike protein was reduced. Immune…

• IF
  Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics
• QM
  Queen Mary University of London
• GP
  GW Pharmaceuticals
• BC
  Barts Charity
• NI
  National Institute for Health and Care Research

  Awards: FS/19/35/34374, NIHR134607, COV-LT2-0027
• BH
  British Heart Foundation

  Awards: AA/18/6/34223, FS/19/35/34374
• CF
  Cystic Fibrosis Trust

  Award: 2019SRC015
• UC
  University College London

  Award: FS/19/35/34374
• HO
  Home Office
• RT
  Rosetrees Trust
• UC
  University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• BH
  Barts Health NHS Trust
• JB
  John Black Charitable Foundation
• SB
  Samsung Biomedical Research Institute
• MR
  Medical Research Council

  Awards: MR/R02622X/1, MR/S019553/1, MR/S019553/1, MR/V036939/1, MR/R02622X/1, MR/W020610/1
• BA
  Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry
• NI
  NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre