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Review
. 2024 Sep 14;12(9):1051.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines12091051.

Hybrid Immunity against SARS-CoV-2 Variants: A Narrative Review of the Literature

Panagiota Tsagkli  1 , Maria Geropeppa  1 , Ioanna Papadatou  1 , Vana Spoulou  1
Affiliations
Review

Hybrid Immunity against SARS-CoV-2 Variants: A Narrative Review of the Literature

Panagiota Tsagkli et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 led to a global health crisis and the burden of the disease continues to persist. The rapid development and emergency authorization of various vaccines, including mRNA-based vaccines, played a pivotal role in mitigating severe illness and mortality. However, rapid viral mutations, leading to several variants of concern, challenged vaccine effectiveness, particularly concerning immune evasion. Research on immunity, both from natural infection and vaccination, revealed that while neutralizing antibodies provide protection against infection, their effect is short-lived. The primary defense against severe COVID-19 is derived from the cellular immune response. Hybrid immunity, developed from a combination of natural infection and vaccination, offers enhanced protection, with convalescent vaccinated individuals showing significantly higher levels of neutralizing antibodies. As SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve, understanding the durability and breadth of hybrid immunity becomes crucial. This narrative review examines the latest data on humoral and cellular immunity from both natural infection and vaccination, discussing how hybrid immunity could inform and optimize future vaccination strategies in the ongoing battle against COVID-19 and in fear of a new pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 immunology; SARS-CoV-2 vaccination; SARS-CoV-2 variants; hybrid immunity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Kinetics of the various aspects of immune response to SARS-CoV-2 acquired by natural infection, vaccination, and hybrid immunity. Adapted from [80].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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