The BBC reported on the 12th that it is the first study that shows that even if you catch an existing cold, you can develop immunity to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
Researchers at Imperial College London (ICL) in the UK published a paper on this topic in the journal Nature Communications on the 10th (local time).
This study investigated the correlation between COVID-19 infection and immune cells produced by common colds in 52 people who lived with them.
As a result, it was found that if you catch a cold and develop an ‘immune memory’, it helps to prevent the Corona 19 virus.
The researchers hope the study will help understand how the body’s natural immune system fights viruses.
However, the researchers said it is a “serious mistake” to think that a person with a recent cold history is protected from COVID-19, and emphasized that a vaccine is still important.
COVID-19 is a type of coronavirus, and some common colds are caused by other coronaviruses.
In this study, the researchers investigated whether immunity to one virus might be beneficial to another.
In particular, we wanted to see if some people are more susceptible to COVID-19 following being exposed to the virus.
The researchers focused on T cells, which are important immune cells in the body. Some of the T cells kill infected cells with certain threats, such as a cold.
When a cold is healed, the ‘immune memory’ of T cells remains in the body and can defend itself when the next virus enters.
The study started in September 2020, when it was in the early stages of COVID-19. The researchers tested 52 people living with unvaccinated people who tested positive for COVID-19 for infection.
Half of this group was infected with COVID-19 during the 28-day study period, while the other half did not. Of particular note, one-third of the uninfected had significantly higher levels of T-cells in the blood than those who were infected.
The researchers believe that the immune memory is more likely to be generated when infected with another coronavirus with which it is closely related.
The researchers said that in addition to immunity from a cold, ventilation and the infectivity of people living together can also be variables.
Professor Simon Clark, from the University of Reading, UK, said that although the study was relatively small, it might improve our understanding of how the body’s immune system fights viruses and might help create better vaccines.
However, he said, “This data should not be interpreted excessively,” he said.
Professor Clark also emphasized, “Among the viruses that cause colds, the proportion of coronaviruses is regarding 10 to 15 percent.
Prof Ajit Ralbani, the study’s lead author, said vaccines are key to prevention.
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