Evidence of Covid-related Original Antigenic Sin Has Finally Surfaced
Prior immunity — especially from natural infection — may backfire instead when it comes to Omicron.
In the late 1900s, scientists discovered that antibodies generated against a particular influenza virus strain were deployed again even when the person got infected with a different influenza virus strain.
Not only are such old antibodies ineffective, but they sometimes hinder the formation of newer, more effective antibodies. In essence, the immune system insists on doing what it has learned initially, despite that the same trick may not work twice.
This phenomenon is called the original antigenic sin or immune imprinting.
As the Covid-19 virus, SARS-CoV-2 mutates from the original 2019 Wuhan variant to multiple variants — such as Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron — scientists have consistently voiced concerns of possible original antigenic sin occurring since early last year.
Now, evidence of Covid-related original antigenic sin has surfaced, which may also explain how Omicron has become so successful at dominating all the other Covid variants we thought would dominate indefinitely.
