Omicron Could Threaten COVID-19 Immunity — But We’re Not Going Back to ‘Square One’

Immunologists and virologists say that while it will still take time to determine the variant's real-world impact, our immunity from vaccines and prior infection could take a significant hit if it takes off globally. "I wouldn't say that this one's going to put us back to zero," said Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, a professor and immunobiologist at the College of Medicine – Tucson. "But I do think that if it does spread, it's going to be a bigger problem than any of the variants we've seen before."