“Unexpectedly Effective” – New COVID Vaccine’s Robust Response to Mutated Variants

A new study reveals the updated COVID-19First identified in 2019 in Wuhan, China, COVID-19, or Coronavirus disease 2019, (which was originally called "2019 novel coronavirus" or 2019-nCoV) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It has spread globally, resulting in the 2019–22 coronavirus pandemic.” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{“attribute”:”data-cmtooltip”, “format”:”html”}]” tabindex=”0″ role=”link”>COVID-19 vaccine’s strong response against Omicron and other SARS-CoV-2Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the official name of the virus strain that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Previous to this name being adopted, it was commonly referred to as the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), the Wuhan coronavirus, or the Wuhan virus.” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{“attribute”:”data-cmtooltip”, “format”:”html”}]” tabindex=”0″ role=”link”>SARS-CoV-2 variants, suggesting broad protection and highlighting its significance for vulnerable populations.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Danderyd Hospital have followed recipients of the new updated COVID-19 vaccine and analyzed the antibody response to different SARS-CoV-2 variants. The results show a surprisingly strong response to the now dominant and highly mutated Omicron variants.

The ongoing COMMUNITY study, which was launched in the spring of 2020 with the regular testing of 2,149 members of the Danderyd Hospital staff, has recently published the results of this autumn’s leg of the study. Twenty-four participants were recorded in this study, the majority of whom were over 64 and had received four or five previous vaccine doses.

Exclusively Targets Omicron

Previous updates of the COVID-19 vaccine have included both the original SARS-CoV-2 variant and Omicron. However, they triggered a much stronger antibody response to the former than to the latter. Omicron variants are now globally dominant, and the sharp rise in the Omicron XBB variant and its sub-variants prompted the development of vaccines to these strains. However, other variants have since taken over, amongst them the highly mutated BA.2.86, and scientists have been uncertain if the new vaccine protects against these as well.

The results of this study now show that the updated COVID-19 vaccine gives a ten-fold increase in antibodies against not only XBB but also newer and more mutated strains, such as BA.2.86.

“It’s good to see that the new updated vaccine induces such a broad antibody response,” says Charlotte Thålin, researcher at Karolinska Institutet, the Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital, M.D. at Danderyd Hospital and head researcher of the COMMUNITY study upon which the results are based. “Previous updates have not managed to shift the response towards Omicron and the new variants, since they have been adapted to the original virusA virus is a tiny infectious agent that is not considered a living organism. It consists of genetic material, either DNA or RNA, that is surrounded by a protein coat called a capsid. Some viruses also have an outer envelope made up of lipids that surrounds the capsid. Viruses can infect a wide range of organisms, including humans, animals, plants, and even bacteria. They rely on host cells to replicate and multiply, hijacking the cell's machinery to make copies of themselves. This process can cause damage to the host cell and lead to various diseases, ranging from mild to severe. Common viral infections include the flu, colds, HIV, and COVID-19. Vaccines and antiviral medications can help prevent and treat viral infections.” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{“attribute”:”data-cmtooltip”, “format”:”html”}]” tabindex=”0″ role=”link”>virus. The broad response we’re seeing now is likely due to the fact that the new vaccine only targets Omicron, which differs greatly from the original virus.”

Unexpectedly Effective

“We’re seeing a sharper rise than we’d been hoping for in the neutralizing antibodies against all the new variants we’d tested,” says the paper’s first author Ulrika Marking, doctoral student at Karolinska Institutet, the Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital. “This strongly suggests that the new vaccine also provides cross-protection against the new variants and corroborates the recommendation that older people and people in the risk group for influenza and COVID-19 should get vaccinated.”

Reference: “Humoral immune responses to the monovalent XBB.1.5-adapted BNT162b2 mRNA booster in Sweden” by Ulrika Marking, Oscar Bladh, Katherina Aguilera, Yiqiu Yang, Nina Greilert Norin, Kim Blom, Sophia Hober, Jonas Klingström, Sebastian Havervall, Mikael Åberg, Daniel J Sheward and Charlotte Thålin, 5 January 2024, The LancetFounded in 1823 by Thomas Wakley, The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's oldest, most prestigious, and best known general medical journals. The journal publishes original research articles, review articles ("seminars" and "reviews"), editorials, book reviews, correspondence, as well as news features and case reports. The Lancet has editorial offices in London, New York, and Beijing. ” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{“attribute”:”data-cmtooltip”, “format”:”html”}]” tabindex=”0″ role=”link”>The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(23)00779-X

The results were first published on December 21, 2023, on the preprint server bioRxiv, after it had been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication in a scientific journal, and a previous version of this news article was then published. The study has now been published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

The COMMUNITY study is being run as a collaboration among Danderyd Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, the Swedish Public Health Agency, Uppsala University and SciLifeLab. It is funded by the Jonas and Christina af Jochnick Foundation, Region Stockholm, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and SciLifeLab. The researchers declare no conflicts of interest.