Christmas hopes boosted as study suggests ‘70% of Omicron has NOT mutated to evade vaccines’

Pre-existing Covid jabs or prior infection may still be protective against serious illness caused by the Omicron super variety, says a report that was praised by No10’s highest health leaders.

It was discovered that the new strain of virus has tripled the number of micro-mutations than Delta. However, large areas remain susceptible to the immune system. 

Italian researchers used a mathematical model of Omicron to predict how easily the virus will be detected by the human body, in an unprecedented amount of spike protein alterations.

They found that about 70 per cent of the spike had not evolved to evade vaccines or natural immunity and in theory will still be targeted by the immune system of a vaccinated or recently-infected person. 

Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency and key No10 advisor, said the finding signalled a ‘glass half full’ scenario, with the variant unlikely to make jabs redundant like previously feared.

However, the immunologist raised concerns that Omicron contains three times more modifications to virus parts that are targeted in antibodies and T cells (known as epitopes) than any other variant.

The University of Milan study is ‘helpful but in no way definitive’ because it does not tell us how Omicron is ‘going to act in the real world’, according to Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University.

Omicron will remain unknown to scientists for at least two more weeks. Scientists can then isolate the virus and study its biology, before they test it against any vaccines.

‘It tells us we’re likely to get an immune response, either through vaccination or previous infection, but how much? Professor Young stated that they aren’t sure.  

MailOnline was also cautioned by Dr Simon Clarke of Reading University. He is a microbiologist and warned not to read too much into these findings. We don’t know this yet and not all epitopes are created equal. 

‘We are crossing our fingers that the antibodies stimulated by the vaccine bind to and block the epitopes on the virus’ spike protein, which acts like a key to our cells.’

Scientists are afraid of this image, which prompted UK ministers to boost the UK’s vaccine rollout. It also saw the return of English mask mandates. Experts fear that the super-mutant Omicron Omicron variant will be the most dangerous and vaccine-resistant yet. A graphic released by the top national variant monitoring group shows that the Omicron strain has nearly five times more modifications on its spike protein than the Delta strain. 

On average, 46,000 Covid patients are diagnosed each day in the UK. Covid Genomics UK Consortium data (COG UK) shows that around 1 in 666 cases, or 1.4%, is affected by the new strain.

Omicron is the only strain that has 37 mutations from the spike, while Delta had nine. Beta’s also contained 10, which was considered to be the most vaccine resistant. Gamma, a third variant, was also identified. It originated from Brazil. The epitopes are small segments of protein found on the surface of the spike. This is where the immune system targets the part that it recognizes. These epitopes are bind by immune cells such as antibodies, T cells, and B cells. This acts like a key and triggers a series of actions to eliminate the invader. Milan’s study found 348 epitopes of T cells on Omicron, which may reduce the strength and resilience to this strain. This compares to Delta’s 108 and Beta’s 125. There were also 550 B-cell epitopes found on Omicron that was higher than the Delta’s 198 or Beta’s 231.

Pre-existing Covid jabs, and any prior infection may still be protective against serious illness caused by the Omicron super variation. This is according to a Dr Susan Hopkins study.

Omicron caused panic worldwide when South African experts raised alarm on November 24th about the possibility of its emergence. The world closed down to that region as a last resort to stop the spread.

Retroactive analysis of positive testing shows that the virus was spreading around the world, and even in Britain, before being officially identified. On November 20, nine individuals tested positive in Scotland. 

Scientists are worried about the number of mutations in spike protein that vaccines target. 

These were created to recognize the first strain of virus in China. They are now slightly less effective when dealing with new strains.

Although the effectiveness of the jabs has declined in the prevention of infection, it still provides protection from severe illnesses, even against Delta variants. 

Omicron is the only strain with 37 mutations that can be found in the spike, while Delta has nine and Beta’s 10. Omicron was previously considered the most vaccine resistant. 

The epitopes are small segments on the surface of the spike that identify specific proteins and are targeted by the immune systems.

Immune cells like antibodies, B cells and T cells bind to these epitopes and like a lock and key, triggering a cascade of actions that vanquish the invader.

Milan Study identified 348 T-cell epitopes that Omicron may inhibit the immune response. These were compared with 108 for Beta and 125 respectively. Omicron also had 550 B-cell epitopes, which was more than the 198 found in Delta and Beta. 

Professor Young stated that Omicron was a finding which “confirmed” why Omicron should be worried, as it looked so much different from Beta or Delta to the immune system. 

UKHSA stated previously that current vaccines are expected to be less effective against Omicron infection than those from Delta. 

However, scientists believe the jabs can withstand serious disease or death, especially if there have been booster vaccines. 

To protect against Omicron waves, the government announced last week it would offer boosters to all 53million British adults before the end of January.