Time from last immunity event against infection during Omicron-dominant period in Malaysia

Abstract

Objectives: To study the incidence of Omicron infections in Malaysia and the exposures that could reduce the hazard of attaining Omicron infection.

Methods: We used a multicenter, prospective cohort to study 482 healthcare workers vaccinated with two and three doses of BNT162b2 for SARS-CoV-2 infection during the Omicron-dominant period in Malaysia.

Results: Between January 31 and July 31, 2022, the cumulative incidence was 44.6% (95% CI 40.2-49.1%), and the incidence rate was 3.33 (95% CI 2.91-3.80) per 1000 person-days. Our study found that protection against Omicron infection was significantly higher for persons with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection (hazard ratio [HR] 0.41, 95% CI 0.27-0.62) and persons with a more recent immunity event (<30 days [reference] vs >90 days, HR 3.82, 95%CI 1.34-10.90) from the beginning of the Omicron period.

Conclusion: Pre-Omicron natural infection and a recent immunity event protect against future Omicron infections.

Keywords: Healthcare workers; Hybrid immunity; Malaysia; Omicron; Previous SARS-CoV-2 infection; Vaccination.