Omicron Spreads Faster Than Delta Within Vaccinated Individuals: Danish Study

Epoch Times ^ | 01/04/2022 | Naveen Athrappully

[SeekAndFind]

A Danish study of nearly 12,000 households has discovered that Omicron spreads faster than Delta among those who are fully vaccinated, and even higher between those who have received booster shots, demonstrating strong evidence of the variant’s immune evasiveness.

The Omicron variant was found to evade the immunity of vaccinated individuals at a much faster pace compared to Delta, and at a higher rate than the unvaccinated, according to the study conducted by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Statistics Denmark, and Statens Serum Institut.

“Comparing households infected with the Omicron to Delta VOC, we found an 1.17 times higher SAR for unvaccinated, 2.61 times higher for fully vaccinated and 3.66 times higher for booster-vaccinated individuals, demonstrating strong evidence of immune evasiveness of the Omicron VOC,” said the preprint of the study. SAR refers to secondary attack rate.

However, the study also discovered that unvaccinated individuals spread the virus more easily than those who are fully vaccinated, while there was reduced transmission between people who received booster shots.

There were altogether 11,937 households involved in the study, out of which 2,225 already had Omicron. After one to 7 days, the team followed up with the households and found 6,397 secondary infections. The SAR was found to be 31 percent with the Omicron, and 21 percent with the Delta variant.

Omicron has spread to 90 countries worldwide and has become the dominant variant in the United States. However, the strain has proven to cause mild symptoms compared to earlier variants like Delta, and results in fewer hospitalizations.

“The Omicron VOC (variant of concern) has been reported to be three to six times as infectious as previous variants, with a short doubling time, including early estimates from countries with a high vaccination coverage indicating doubling times of 1.8 days (UK), 1.6 days (Denmark), 2.4 days (Scotland) and 2.0 days (United States),” from the study.

The researchers also suggested considering alternate methods for combating the infection. “Our data indicate that the non-pharmaceutical interventions that were used to control the previous variants of SARS-CoV-2 are also likely to be effective against the Omicron VOC.”

Seventy-eight percent of Danish citizens are fully vaccinated with two doses, while almost half have received a booster shot. More than 80 percent have received Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine.

The effectiveness of vaccines is reduced to around 40 percent for symptoms and 80 percent for severe disease with the Omicron variant. Numbers were better with booster shots as the effectiveness was reduced only to 86 percent for symptoms and 98 percent respectively for those suffering from severe infection.

The vaccination effectiveness with Pfizer-Biotech for preventing infection with the Omicron variant is only 35 percent, the study found. “The advantage of the Omicron VOC seems to be a combination of high transmissibility and increased immune evading abilities.”

“We therefore suggest that adapted or improved vaccines may be necessary to mitigate the spread of the Omicron VOC.”

The Danish team added that more studies are required to understand the latest COVID-19 variant, as they concluded, “Our results confirm that booster vaccination has the potential to reduce Omicron VOC transmission in households, although vaccination as a strategy for epidemic control is increasingly challenged by the immune evasiveness of the Omicron VOC.”

A preprint of the study was published on Dec. 27, and it has not yet been peer-reviewed.

[EEGator]

Time for your 4th vaccine in a year.

[Republican Wildcat]

However, the study also discovered that unvaccinated individuals spread the virus more easily than those who are fully vaccinated, while there was reduced transmission between people who received booster shots.

So what are we supposed to conclude from this study?

Sounds rather schizophrenic in its findings.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: So what are we supposed to conclude from this study?

Get triple vaccinated. That’s what I’m getting from this statement.

[BeauBo]

“Omicron spreads faster than Delta among those who are fully vaccinated”

Not that it spreads faster among the vaccinated, than among unvaccinated.

Just that Omicron evades all prior immunity - whether from vaccination or prior infection - more than Delta.

There is still some protective vaccine effect against Omicron, especially against severe disease or death.

[Republican Wildcat]

So we “learn” from this study that Omicron spreads faster within both unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals than did Delta - but still spreads slower among the vaccinated than the unvaccinated.

This study is basically of zero value. We already knew Omicron was more contagious than Delta.

[faucetman]

“Omicron spreads faster than Delta among those who are fully vaccinated, and even higher between those who have received booster shots,”

Hmmm?

Aren’t you people who got shot 1, shot 2, and booster shot glad you did? /s

I’ll trust my “still intact” immune system and vitamins/supplements over Frankenstein vaxxines ANY DAY!

I just can’t understand how so many of you allowed yourselves to be DUPED!

[faucetman]

““Our data indicate that the non-pharmaceutical interventions that were used to control the previous variants of SARS-CoV-2 are also likely to be effective against the Omicron VOC.””

[Jan_Sobieski]

[Smallpox] Spreads Faster Within Vaccinated Individuals

[faucetman]

“Sounds rather schizophrenic in its findings.”

Only if you are coming from the prospective that the faux vaxxines were supposed to HELP.

Their findings are that THE VAXXINES DON’T WORK, especially on Omnicron.

Probably because you have compromised your immune system by getting those “experimental” mRNA faux vaxxines.

WAKE UP!

[Artcore]

Our resident Pro-vaxx “Doctors” (And I use that term very losely!) will most assuredly pooh pooh this study! Doesn’t fit their narrative!

[Paladin2]

Fauxci denies this Science?

[Kazan]

Aren’t you people who got shot 1, shot 2, and booster shot glad you did? /s

I only had one J&J. But, why the hell wouldn't be a happy? I had no side effects and haven't gotten Covid.

I don't a f#ck if you chose not to get the vaccine, why the hell do you give a f$ck that I got it?

The pro-vax bullies and the anti-vax paranoids are equally annoying.

[Kazan]

Probably because you have compromised your immune system by getting those “experimental” mRNA faux vaxxines.

Highly with the J&J, especially considering I did have even a single chill or a sore arm immediately afterward.

But, they hell do you care? Mind your damn business?

Don't want the vaccine, don't get it. But how about shutting the hell up about about those that did. Or do you just being an asshole? How are you any better then Biden and the libtards demanding the unvaxxed get the jabbed? I don't see any difference. Piss off.

[fireman15]

There is still some protective vaccine effect against Omicron, especially against severe disease or death.

I guess being three paragraphs in... it was a little past your attention span. ““Comparing households infected with the Omicron to Delta VOC, we found an 1.17 times higher SAR for unvaccinated, 2.61 times higher for fully vaccinated and 3.66 times higher for booster-vaccinated individuals”.

I know it's hard, let's make it a little simpler for you; the bigger numbers are bad. So, to repeat they go from 1.17 for unvaccinated, to 2.61 for vaccinated to 3.66 for booster vaccinated. “SAR refers to secondary attack rate.” But don't worry even though this is too difficult for you to understand, we still love you.

[Boogieman]

“demonstrating strong evidence of the variant’s immune evasiveness.

The Omicron variant was found to evade the immunity of vaccinated individuals at a much faster pace compared to Delta, and at a higher rate than the unvaccinated”

When you consider the implications of the comparison to the unvaccinated, this sounds less like “immune evasiveness” and more like “vaccine induced immunopathy”.

[Boogieman]

Yes, and another study also showed negative efficacy for the vaccines against Omicron. Meaning that you are more likely to contract it if you are vaccinated than not. That's a huge finding and this seems to be confirmation that study is not some isolated case.

[BeauBo]

Your condescension is misplaced - it is you who are wrong.

They are comparing Omicron to Delta - not vaccinated to unvaccinated.

Omicron is more immune evasive, because it is more different in appearance (over 50 mutations). It is more evasive of immunity from prior COVID infections as well as vaccination.

Being more immune evasive, means Omicron has a relatively higher ability to produce a breakthrough infection, than does Delta. Those SARs quantify the degree of difference between Omicron and Delta, in their relative immune evasiveness. The stronger the immunity, the greater the relative advantage that the more Immune evasive strain has over the other strain.

So the higher SAR indicates a stronger level of immunity - therefor a greater relative advantage for the strain than is more immune evasive.

It does not mean that those with higher vaccination status get relatively more disease (the opposite is true). There is a vaccine protective effect, it is just relatively less protective against Omicron then Delta.

So you are wrong, and you were rude about it.

You should apologize.

[Jim Noble]

Study findings can’t be “schizophrenic”, because studies are not (should not be) done to support a narrative but rather to discover the truth.

We are not NEAR to understanding the rapid evolution of SARS CoV 2, how human immune systems are evolving alongside it, or the role of spike protein vaccines in both of the above.

The Danish data is quite interesting.

[BeauBo]

“ you are more likely to contract it if you are vaccinated than not.”

No, you are not.

The other study that you refer to, I believe was a (Dutch or Danish?) pre-print, not yet peer reviewed. There was one group in the data where there was a higher then average incidence of infection among those who had been vaccinated several months prior. The authors of the study specifically addressed that, acknowledging that it was a small, non-random sample of the early cases of Omicron into their country - International travelers who disproportionally had to be vaccinated to fly. They attributed it to a statistical anomaly due to a sample with clear confounding variables, rather than some causative mechanism.

On the other hand, many studies, and large epidemiological results from South Africa, Israel and the UK; show vaccine protective effect against Omicron. Vaccines are just marginally less protective against Omicron. They do not raise the risk of infection - they lower it. Out of the fewer breakthrough infections that do occur among the vaccinated (or those previously infected) a higher proportion of them tend to be Omicron, because it is more immune evasive.

If you do happen to get a breakthrough infection, it is more likely to be Omicron - not that you are more likely to get Omicron, if you are vaccinated.