[Cyprus Times] Coronavirus: some never caught it What is their "secret"?

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"Undefeated" are some people from the coronavirus for more than two years that the pandemic counts. How do they manage?

Those who have not yet been infected by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that has upset us in recent years, recording more than half a billion cases worldwide and close to 3.5 million in Greece, seem to have the "bat's bone". The actual spread of the virus is estimated to be greater than the official records, including those who were never tested as they became ill asymptomatically. Even so, however, some have certainly escaped. Is it ultimately a matter of luck?

The answer is probably "sort of" and the explanation is more complex than the luck factor, according to Dr Lindsay Broadbent, a research associate in the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences at Queen's University Belfast, who presents four possible scenarios to explain the phenomenon.

1. They did not come into contact with the virus

This is a simplistic answer that could only apply to people who decided to take extreme protective measures due to increased risk of infection, such as patients with chronic heart and lung conditions, some of whom still adhere to strict protective measures and others who ultimately failed to exclude the virus.

The version can hardly include those who use public transport, work with a physical presence and generally have a more intense social life, especially after the hypermicrobial strains of the Omicron variant. And yet, the expert notes, there are people who are not infected despite their overexposure to the virus, such as hospital workers or close contacts of cases.

2. Protected by vaccination

According to studies, vaccines against COVID-19 not only reduce the risk of severe disease but also reduce the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The problem in this regard is that such studies were conducted before the advent of the Omicron variant, for which the limited available evidence has established its ability to evade immunity from prior infection or vaccination

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3. They are protected by their cell structure

According to one hypothesis, some individuals will escape infection even if the coronavirus enters the airways because of a lack of the cell surface receptors that SARS-CoV-2 needs to bind to and enter to begin its replication process.

4. Intense immune response

A final approach focuses on the role our immune system plays during coronavirus infection. Presumably, a rapid and robust immune response takes place from the outset, preventing the virus from replicating in the first place. Our immune performance, explains Dr Broadbent, is judged by a confluence of factors including age, genes and lifestyle. Thus, a strong and immediate immune response:

may be the result of a lifestyle that includes exercise and proper nutrition, care for vitamin D sufficiency and adequate sleep is potentially due to genes, as studies attributing one in five (20%) cases of severe COVID-19 to genetic factors, thus suggesting that our genomic profile will judge the immune response. In a study conducted by Dr Broadbent and her team on nasal cavity cells, they discovered that a donor's cell sample could not be challenged by SARS-CoV-2 and that some genetic variants - some of which are involved in the immune response - may explain why this happened. One of them has even previously shown resistance to HIV infection and is a product of cross-immunity, i.e. protection is ensured by earlier infection with other human coronaviruses (HCoVs) that cause mild generalised disease against SARS-CoV-2.

Source: ygeiamou.gr

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