'Significant number' of people may have some natural immunity to coronavirus

https://news.yahoo.com/significant-number-people-may-natural-174016140.html

Sarah Knapton
,The Telegraph•July 1, 2020


Large numbers of the population may have natural immunity against coronavirus even if they have never been infected, scientists believe.

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Recent studies have suggested the immune system can be primed by other coronaviruses, such as the common cold, giving the body a head start in fighting off Covid-19.

Research shows that a separate part of the immune system, T-cells, respond to chains of amino acids produced by different types of coronaviruses and may be responsible for stopping the virus in people who never show symptoms. Crucially, those T-cells die off in older people, which may be why they are far more likely to develop a more serious illness.

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A recent study suggested children may be protected from coronavirus because they catch so many colds.

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The common cold is caused by four different types of coronavirus which circulate in the community and are largely harmless. But while adults pick up a cold around two to four times a year, school age children catch an average of 12 colds annually, studies have shown, which may give them an advantage in battling off coronavirus.

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