People who catch Covid-19 after being fully vaccinated against the illness may gain "super immunity", according to a study.
Researchers found that those infected after having their jabs might have more antibodies than those who have not caught coronavirus.
Additionally, scientists discovered that the antibodies in the blood of people infected with Covid were up to 1,000 per cent more effective, Yorkshire Live reports.
The study looked at 26 fully vaccinated healthcare workers from Oregon Health & Science University who had later caught Covid, comparing them with jabbed people who had not tested positive.
Those who had caught Covid after full vaccination also saw a larger increase in antibodies than those just fully vaccinated - this was despite participants only having fairly mild cases of Covid.
Researcher Fikadu Tafesse, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular microbiology and immunology in the OHSU School of Medicine, said: "You can’t get a better immune response than this. These vaccines are very effective against severe disease.
"Our study suggests that individuals who are vaccinated and then exposed to a breakthrough infection have super immunity.
"We have not examined the Omicron variant specifically, but based on the results of this study we would anticipate that breakthrough infections from the omicron variant will generate a similarly strong immune response among vaccinated people."
Marcel Curlin, M.D., associate professor of medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine who also serves as medical director of OHSU Occupational Health, added: "It doesn’t mean we’re at the end of the pandemic, but it points to where we’re likely to land: Once you’re vaccinated and then exposed to the virus, you’re probably going to be reasonably well-protected from future variants.
“Our study implies that the long-term outcome is going to be a tapering-off of the severity of the worldwide epidemic.
"The key is to get vaccinated. You’ve got to have a foundation of protection."
The researchers emphasised that the study relied on a relatively small sample.
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