Reduced sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant to antibody neutralization elicited by booster vaccination.

Waning immunity and viral diversification both create the potential need for further booster vaccination; therefore, we administered a homologous booster dose of the BBIBP-CorV vaccine, 8-9 months after completing the priming two-dose vaccination schedule, to eligible healthcare workers in Shanghai Ruijin Hospital to investigate whether the newly identified Omicron variant can escape serum antibody neutralization induced by the booster vaccination. The booster dose of either an inactivated vaccine or a heterologous recombinant protein subunit vaccine can rapidly recover the neutralizing immune response to SARS-CoV-2[3], and elicit neutralizing antibodies against VOCs, including variants Beta and Delta[4]. In conclusion, a booster dose of BBIBP-CorV led to a significant rebound in neutralizing immune response against SARS-CoV-2, while the Omicron variant showed extensive but incomplete escape from booster-enhanced neutralization. [Extracted from the article]