At Oregon Health and Science University, 26 vaccinated staff members who were infected were compared to those who were vaccinated but did not become infected with the coronavirus.

A new study says that those who become infected with Covid after being completely vaccinated have “super immunity” with high levels of antibodies.

The study compared 26 vaccinated staff members at Oregon Health and Science University who had illnesses versus those who were vaccinated but did not have coronavirus.

People who were vaccinated when they got Covid saw a big rise in antibodies, up to 2,000 per cent, says the study.

“The increases were substantial,” said study author Fikadu Tafesse, an OHSU molecular microbiology and immunology professor in Portland, Oregon.

“Up to a 1,000 per cent increase and sometimes up to 2,000 per cent, so it’s really high immunity.

“It’s almost ‘super immunity’.”

Prof Tafesse further added: “What we’re saying is, we know life happens. If you happen to be exposed to the virus, you’ll have this amazing immune response.”

“This is one of the first that shows a breakthrough infection following vaccination generates stronger immunity than prior infection or vaccination alone,” said Dr Monica Gandhi of the University of California, San Francisco.

The study comes as the number of new infections in the US continues to rise, with a 7-days average of 119,312 cases.

NIAID director Anthony Fauci said on MSNBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday about the variant’s “extraordinary ability to spread” and how Omicron is “raging” around the world.

He cautioned against relying on statistics from South Africa, where people have “so much experience with prior infections that it might be underlying immunity that’s making it look like it’s less severe,” to draw conclusions about the severity of Omicron cases.

“As a virus, it inherently may not be less severe,” he warned.

“We have so many people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who have not yet been vaccinated. And that’s going to be a real problem for stress on the hospital system” Fauci added of the coming situation in the U.S.

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