If true, it is still unlikely to work the other way round ‑ as Delta offers just 19 percent protection from Omicron, an earlier study from Imperial College London shows. South African experts have a well of data about Omicron and found its sufferers ‑ especially those who have had vaccine jabs ‑ develop a 4.4-fold increase in defences against Delta.
The Africa Health Research Institute team concluded: “The increase in Delta variant neutralisation in individuals infected with Omicron may result in decreased ability of Delta to re-infect those individuals.”
An earlier South African study noted a lower risk of hospitalisation and severe illness for Omicron sufferers.