Coronavirus: Those who never had COVID-19 may teach how to build resistance; read on

Why some people don't get infected from coronavirus has been one of the greatest mysteries of the pandemic. Scientists around the world are investigating these rare individuals who have managed to dodge the coronavirus for more than two years.

András Spaan, a clinical microbiologist and fellow at the Rockefeller University in New York, said an international study has already enrolled 700 participants and is screening more than 5,000 people who have come forward as potentially immune to coronavirus infection.

Bob Wachter, professor and chair of the department of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco, says it’s got to be a combination of caution, circumstance and luck. People who always wear masks in indoor public spaces, stay up to date on vaccines and boosters, test frequently, and avoid high-risk gatherings or travel may have had fewer chances to catch the virus. Low levels of community spread in certain regions or the ability to work from home may also have protected some individuals better than others.

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Some people may clear the virus quickly because they have pre-existing antibodies and memory immune cells that recognise the virus. The evidence that it's more than just good luck that some people evade COVID-19 is now strong. Some people did not get infected despite being 'hyper exposed' to multiple positive cases even without a face mask.

One hypothesis could also be that some individuals have fewer receptors in their noses, throats and lungs for the virus to bind to. Other possible explanations could be prior exposure to a related virus or simply being born with an immune system better suited to fighting SARS-CoV-2.

Experts hope that studying people who have avoided infection may offer clues in their genes that could prevent others from being infected. This may also help to treat those who contract the virus and could lead to better drugs and more targeted public health advice.

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“The biological implications [of identifying a resistance gene] are important because it will provide one more piece in the assembly of the puzzle of the pathogenesis of COVID,” said pediatric immunologist Jean-Laurent Casanova of Rockefeller University, who is shifting to look at elements of resistance. “Medically, if you knew you’re resistant, you know, you’d be relaxed. You would feel like King Kong right? The second possibility is that in people who are not genetically resistant, you can think of blocking the very same component on the surface of cells that you don’t have genetically.”