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Science

Scientists Seek To Solve Mystery of Why Some People Do Not Catch Covid (theguardian.com) 154

Most people know someone who has stubbornly resisted catching Covid, despite everyone around them falling sick. Precisely how they do this remains a mystery, but scientists are beginning to find some clues. From a report: The hope is that identifying these mechanisms could lead to the development of drugs that not only protect people from catching Covid, but also prevent them from passing it on. Phoebe Garrett is not the only challenge trial participant to have avoided becoming infected. Of the 34 who were exposed to the virus, 16 failed to develop an infection (defined as two consecutive positive PCR tests) -- although around half of them transiently tested positive for low levels of the virus, often several days after exposure.

Possibly, this was a reflection of the immune system rapidly shutting down an embryonic infection. "In our previous studies with other viruses, we have seen early immune responses in the nose that are associated with resisting infection," said Prof Christopher Chiu at Imperial College London, who led the study. "Together, these findings imply that there is a struggle between the virus and host, which in our 'uninfected' participants results in prevention of infection taking off." Some of them also reported some mild symptoms, such as a stuffy nose, sore throat, tiredness, or headache -- although, since these commonly occur in everyday life, they may have been unrelated to virus exposure.

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Scientists Seek To Solve Mystery of Why Some People Do Not Catch Covid

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  • by devslash0 ( 4203435 ) on Wednesday March 02, 2022 @03:09PM (#62319761)

    As always, I'm expecting the answer to be either "they have something in their genes that most dont" or "their lifestyle made their immune system stronger". If that's the case, then we should be able to identify those factors, and possibly even do DNA transplant with the new CRISPR technologies.

    • by shanen ( 462549 )

      As regards Omicron, I think it's pretty clear the scientists are missing something major about how Omicron spreads. Too many cases of supposedly well-protected political leaders and famous people who are still catching it. I can't believe it's entirely due to covid fatigue and lowered defenses...

      • I own and run a restaurant, see hundreds of people daily. Always wear a mask inside, but didnâ(TM)t for the first year when working with a couple employees. My wife and I never got it, and we never isolated or worked at home.

        • by Jzanu ( 668651 )
          You answered your own question. You own commercial property, so you are middle class or higher. Income partitions society so that your friends and who they interact with and who your customers are and who they interact with (assuming you are not talking about McDonald's) is also filtered by it. Higher income lets people stay home when they feel ill, reducing their risk of spreading any/all respiratory droplet or other fluid transmission disease. That celebrates/sovereigns get sick despite wealth is more an
          • Re: DNA transplant? (Score:4, Informative)

            by torkus ( 1133985 ) on Wednesday March 02, 2022 @04:53PM (#62320153)

            You answered your own question. You own commercial property, so you are middle class or higher. Income partitions society so that your friends and who they interact with and who your customers are and who they interact with (assuming you are not talking about McDonald's) is also filtered by it. Higher income lets people stay home when they feel ill, reducing their risk of spreading any/all respiratory droplet or other fluid transmission disease. That celebrates/sovereigns get sick despite wealth is more an indicator of their increased social exposure to people from different income strata. You were wealthy enough and actually socially insulated enough to avoid it, despite thinking that you were exposed to the same environments as those who became sick.

            While income does somewhat partition society, there's plenty of cross-pollination opportunities (restaurant staff being an easy and relevant example). Seeing 100's of people a day will very likely negate any 'wealth protection' that might exist - rather like the celebrities you used as a counterpoint...?

          • You answered your own question. You own commercial property, so you are middle class or higher. Income partitions society so that your friends and who they interact with and who your customers are and who they interact with (assuming you are not talking about McDonald's) is also filtered by it. Higher income lets people stay home when they feel ill, reducing their risk of spreading any/all respiratory droplet or other fluid transmission disease. That celebrates/sovereigns get sick despite wealth is more an indicator of their increased social exposure to people from different income strata. You were wealthy enough and actually socially insulated enough to avoid it, despite thinking that you were exposed to the same environments as those who became sick.

            What a ridiculous assertion.

        • Of being asymptomatic. That's the tricky part it's hard to say whether you ever got it or not. Wearing the mask helps especially if it's an n95 properly worn but the hard part is forcing everyone else to wear masks after it became a political issue
          • by shanen ( 462549 )

            I still think transparent N95 (or KN95) masks would do a lot to diffuse the insanity for many people. Seems like a massive business opportunity and I remain baffled that no one has done it yet.

      • It's airborne and ridiculously contagious. The variant may be an order of magnitude more infectious than the original virus, and if vaccines and masking reduce the odds of infection by 90%, the end result is the same as if you were dealing with the original without these measures. And obviously no lockdowns like we did in 2020 because it's not politically acceptable... Social distancing has really tapered off as well; Omicron coincided with holidays in the US where families and other groups of people got to

        • It seems the only reason we may NOT be stumbling blindly into a terrible Omicron BA.2 wave is that enough of the population has sufficient immunity to blunt it. Most countries are reducing restrictions while what is objectively the worst COVID19 variant yet is circulating - BA.2 has Delta-like symptoms, is the hardest variant yet to test for (thus the nickname "stealth omicron") and can safely be assumed to be the most contagious virus known to man - 30~50% more contagious than original Omicron, which itsel

        • The exponential doesn't work that way. With a modestly infectious disease, everyone wearing masks will reduce the reproduction rate below 1 and the disease will die out long before you reach herd immunity (when enough people have had it and are immune so it stops spreading). With a very infectious disease, masks are unlikely to reduce the reproduction rate below 1, so a substantial fraction of the population will be infecdted.
          • by shanen ( 462549 )

            Basically the ACK, though "These are not the variants you are worriedly searching for."

    • I keep saying we should study Keith Richards, he seems invulnerable to just about everything.

      You know the old saying:

      "If there is a nuclear war there will only be 2x things that survive...

      ...Cockroaches and Keith Richards"

      ;)

    • Prayer to the flying spaghetti monster in full pirate regalia? Those are the two mechanisms that are science knows about so it's hardly a leap to assume it's one of those.

      I suspect lifestyle will be the main factor. We already know poor people are getting hammered by covid because they work in essential services and are much more likely to be exposed. Also if you're a police officer you're more likely to die of covid than any other cause. Ironically there are a lot of anti-vax cops because they tend to
    • Nah, you're way overcomplicating this. Despite what they say, it's not really a mystery: I got vaccinated, they didn't. That's why everybody around me, despite me being immunosuppressed and getting exposed to them while they had it, got it and I didn't.

      • by dryeo ( 100693 )

        Lots of people who are fully vaccinated caught Omicron, my whole family did I believe (never bothered getting tested). Wasn't too bad but still if I was going into work would have needed a couple of days off if not a week, think nasty cold.

    • by caseih ( 160668 )

      Some people with strong immune systems (those who never get colds or the flu, etc) got very sick with Covid and the thought at the time was that maybe their strong immune system kicked off too strong of a response, which caused a lot of damage, particularly to the lungs. Whereas other people with weaker immune systems got very sick, but the lung damage was less. So many factors.

      • That's kind of what happened with the 1918 Spanish flu. It caused cytokine storms, which disproportionately killed people with stronger immune systems and largely spared those with weaker ones.

        It's been known for a long time now that proper nutrition, including adequate vitamin D levels, is necessary for proper immune function, including not only properly responding to threats, but also preventing the body from attacking itself.

        We also have known since the beginning of COVID-19 that symptoms of metabolic s

  • of natural selection.
  • by eepok ( 545733 ) on Wednesday March 02, 2022 @03:13PM (#62319775) Homepage

    Most people know someone who has stubbornly resisted catching Covid, despite everyone around them falling sick. Precisely how they do this remains a mystery, but scientists are beginning to find some clues.

    I stayed home unless it was absolutely necessary to leave. When out of my home, I wore a mask and 6 feet away from other people. I got vaccinated and boosted right when both were made available to me. I continue to follow masking guidance.

    It's funny how that works.

    • by narcc ( 412956 ) on Wednesday March 02, 2022 @04:08PM (#62319965) Journal

      I did the same thing , vaccinated & boosted, wear a mask, social distance, etc. My wife did the same. Neither one of us caught covid.

        Now, we do have a few friends, relatives, and coworkers who only masked when pressured and continued to gather socially. They almost uniformly caught covid.

      Oh, if only we could solve this mystery!

      • by mjwx ( 966435 )

        I did the same thing , vaccinated & boosted, wear a mask, social distance, etc. My wife did the same. Neither one of us caught covid.

        Now, we do have a few friends, relatives, and coworkers who only masked when pressured and continued to gather socially. They almost uniformly caught covid.

        Oh, if only we could solve this mystery!

        Amazing... If only those who have extensive experience in dealing with and preventing infection diseases told us that maintaining social distances, wearing a mask and avoiding unnecessary trips during a pandemic would prevent the spread of a dangerous virus and reduce the chances of catching it.

        Like many people who never caught COVID, I followed the advice from the NHS (the UK's National Health Service). However I find it amazing that all those who oppose the measures claim to have had it (and are likely

    • by NFN_NLN ( 633283 )

      > I stayed home unless it was absolutely necessary to leave. When out of my home, I wore a mask and 6 feet away from other people. I got vaccinated and boosted right when both were made available to me. I continue to follow masking guidance.

      Or, or, and hear me out here. Maybe, you got COVID and were one of the asymptomatic people.
      Or are we still denying those people exist? I can't keep up with the latest in pseudo science.

      • Comment removed based on user account deletion
      • by mjwx ( 966435 )

        > I stayed home unless it was absolutely necessary to leave. When out of my home, I wore a mask and 6 feet away from other people. I got vaccinated and boosted right when both were made available to me. I continue to follow masking guidance.

        Or, or, and hear me out here. Maybe, you got COVID and were one of the asymptomatic people.
        Or are we still denying those people exist? I can't keep up with the latest in pseudo science.

        Have you ever considered that the idea of a mass of asymptomatic people are the pseudo science....

        I wouldn't even give it that much credence as the basic premise does not line up in any way with the actual evidence of what happened.

        Then again, this would require admitting that you're wrong and have been fooled by people who are further away from being scientists than most witch doctors.

        Here's why the mass of asymptomatic people is utter bollocks.
        1. Anti-Scientists started out saying that everyone

        • Asymptomatic people probably did not spread COVID-19, because they did not harbor a sufficient viral load.

          Pre-symptomatic people probably did, because many people who ultimately were symptomatic already had high-ish viral loads before developing symptoms. This is not unusual for viral infections.

          The inaccuracy of the PCR test means that, very probably, we will never know for certain.

    • Same here. Funny how that works.

    • Phoebe Garrett is not the only challenge trial participant to have avoided becoming infected.

      A challenge trial [wikipedia.org] is one in which the test subject is intentionally exposed to the pathogen (i.e. the SARS-CoV-2 virus)

      I stayed home unless it was absolutely necessary to leave. When out of my home, I wore a mask and 6 feet away from other people. I got vaccinated and boosted right when both were made available to me. I continue to follow masking guidance. It's funny how that works.

      What does your comment have to

      • by eepok ( 545733 )

        I can't tell if you're actually trying to have a conversation or seeking to offensive/confrontational, but I'll take a shot.

        The challenge trial is fantastic and a great bit of research. Period. It will be interesting to learn about natural resistances, were there any, that prevented COVID infection in these limited numbers of people.

        That said, I admittedly harbor a bit of snark with these types of articles (not the research) because they will assuredly get adopted by those who are against any suggested prev

    • There seems to be a minority who are biologically resistant. The first I heard about this was Brazilian observations of spouses of seriously ill COVID patients escaping infection despite intimate contact. A priori not surprising: humans are immunologically diverse for good reason.

      • Well, for whatever this bit of anecdotal evidence is worth, I went from 3-4 bad colds per year, to less than one mild one every couple years, when I figured out how to supplement properly.

        My health sucks in other ways, but, in terms of viral illnesses, I believe my supplements (C, D3, K2, zinc, quercetin and melatonin, among others) have kept me very well protected.

        To my knowledge I never got COVID-19. I do mask (for others' benefit mainly) but have not had the shots, and I am out in public a lot. My wife

    • by King_TJ ( 85913 )

      As a counter to your claim though? I spent the first 6 months or so of the pandemic going out and doing Uber driving, including a few passengers I specifically remember sitting in my back seat coughing and sneezing (one needed the Uber ride to a doctor's office).

      As it went on, I wound up mostly working from home doing an I.T. support job during the day, but was still coming in to their office once a week. I stopped doing Uber but replaced it with doing food deliveries.

      Never bothered with the vaccinations,

      • Pretty much the same here. From around July 2020 onward I got mostly back to normal (Floridian). Wore a mask when some business insisted on it, never got the clot shot and if I got the virus I didn't notice.

    • Madness! Madness I say!
    • Did you even read the summary? It's about the results of a challenge trial. A challenge trial deliberately exposes people to covid. Like spraying it right into your unmasked face.
      This isn't about people who've successfully avoided the virus (I wore KN95s and only went out for groceries and got o.g. covid before the vaccines, nothing is 100%), it's about people who were unquestionably hit with an infectious dose of covid, and it didn't take.
  • They should have recruited some to get a clue on genetic variables.
  • Covid came through my, and my parents house at the same time. Everybody caught covid except for my unvaccinated dad (70s, overweight, comorbidities, not known for leading a healthy lifestyle, spends a lot of time lazing around) We were all afraid for him but he never caught it...

    • by Tablizer ( 95088 )

      It's possible he encountered a closely related strain(s) in a prior flu episode. Did he travel around the world a lot?

  • by turp182 ( 1020263 ) on Wednesday March 02, 2022 @04:21PM (#62320019) Journal

    I have a friend that is anti-vax. It's stupid, but it is what it is (friendship > giving a fuck about his stance on that).

    He's been exposed directly to COVID via his children (in passing, partial custody).

    Most interesting, while staying with him, his brother had COVID, so he had an infected house mate from infection through recovery (he stayed secluded, but it's not a big place).

    And, while following lockdown rules, he's been out and about as much as possible the entire time (shopping, eating out when available).

    He's been exposed a lot. Never got sick, tested negative at least a dozen times taking tests as needed.

    The brother thing is interesting, they were in the same rooms for quite a few hours over a day or two before his brother had symptoms (enclosed space).

    • There's a chance he's one of those people who caught asymptomatic covid.

    • I am fully vaccinated.
      My significant other is fully vaccinated as well.

      We both are fully masked when we step out of the house, and don't leave house unless there is a valid reason. We practice safe distancing, etc when we are out. Not many visitors to our home, and we both mostly work from home.

      One evening, sometime ago I was feeling abit feverish and unwell. My significant other and me, were sleeping in the same room, bed, etc at that time.

      Next day I got tested, and was found to be positive. Thats when I s

  • An asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever, Mary Mallon, did not believe she was a carrier and science of her day had difficulty explaining the phenomenon. Yet she was forced to spend about 30 years in isolation. We're well aware that there are many viruses that people can carry asymptomatically that are dangerous to others. With Epstein-Barr virus being perhaps the most wide spread among human population in part due to its lack of obvious symptoms in the vast majority of the population.

    For COVID-19 I expect

  • Neither myself, nor my wife got it, despite her being a middle-school teacher and ALL of our friends/colleagues getting it.

    How?

    We were careful. We wore high-quality masks all the time, making sure they had a good fit. We used copious amounts of hand sanitizer. We washed our hands regularly. We changed habits to reduce contact by doing things like ordering groceries for pickup instead of going in the store. We kept our son out of daycare during the spikes (meaning he had to stay home with me while I wor

  • I also heard a theory regarding blood types and COVID. That seemed to correlate with an infection event among my vaccinated family...
  • Found the secret urine drinkers!

  • Theoretically, I had COVID last year. If not for the weird headache (and the positive test) I wouldn't have known it. My vaccination gave me chills for an hour.or so (J&J), my booster had no effect other than feeling a little run down. (The booster was the mRNA vaccine.)

    So, did I catch COVID by their definition?
  • https://www.medicalnewstoday.c... [medicalnewstoday.com]
    It's a known medical fact that there is a percentage of people in the general population who get the flu but feel fine and have no symptoms, I seem to remember reading that some university was trying to identify why those people in particular could get the flu (testing positive) and yet not have any symptoms and see if there was a why to transfer that resistance to people who don't have it. So it's possible that those people or even a subset of them have the same resistance

  • From what I understand, this was a virus that jumped from an animal to humans. And now people are surprised why it doesn't infect everyone and why it has varying degrees of impact on people?

    I mean this is like the launch of Cyberpunk 2077. Works great on some systems and not at all on others
  • The past 2 years my wife and I have both been lucky to not catch it and we've had parties, gone to the store, done usual crap half the time wearing a mask. Pretty sure the Coke and weed usage killed the receptors? Then there's the NiH published study kind of confirming the chronic theory anyway. Change my mind. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.go... [nih.gov]
  • Covid went through our house pre-vaccine. My partner was able to isolate and wear a mask but I played nurse to the kids.

    I never had even a sniffle and my antibody tests, from blood donation, continued to come back negative until I was vaccinated; then they came back reactive.

  • It could be that an initial exposure to a small enough or a large enough dose could give the time or the fast response needed to fight it, or there could even be a sweetspot dose. Because most successful viruses attempt to subvert immune response there are lots of possible non-linearities in the response.

  • We call them 'bitches',

  • Every night. As an "office manager," aka husband of the dentist, I work in a dental office in Tijuana and occupy a tiny lobby with people from around the world every day. https://www.news-medical.net/a... [news-medical.net]
  • I wish I know more about how the immune system as a whole worked and what effect early illnesses have on later life. In the mid 70's I grew up on a farm in middle Tennessee, we lived in an old 19th century cabin for part of it, very cold, very drafty, in the winter, very moldy in the summer. I was hospitalized twice with rare illnesses, high fever, hemorrhaging over a large part of my body, never diagnosed but believed to be some form of fungal infection I also had severe cases of measles despite the v

  • Let's say you are fully working vaccinated. A virus (or more likely a few million) enters your body, that cannot be prevented by vaccination. What's supposed to happen is that your immune system jumps on the virus and soon after you have a few million dead viruses inside you.

    What does a test actually measure? If it detects life viruses, they are there for a short time. If it detects dead viruses, they are also for, likely for a longer time. If it detects your immune system working, yes, it would detect i
    • by xalqor ( 6762950 )

      I think a good definition of "infected" should have the word "affected" in it, because if it doesn't affect you, then it doesn't really matter. So you're exposed to a virus (or to a bacteria), and then either an infection develops or it doesn't -- and the way people usually find out is the symptoms, which is them being affected by it. The other way is by routing testing. If you've been asymptomatic, and you test positive, you'll be surprised to find out that you're a carrier.

      A typical test for presence of C

      • by xalqor ( 6762950 )

        I missed something that I meant to include:

        To "have" or "catch" COVID-19 or any other disease is to be a carrier even if the disease cannot be transmitted to others

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