They have never had COVID-19. Does the Omikron BA.5 threaten them more? The doctor explains

The COVID-19 pandemic has been going on for three years now. During this time, some have been infected with the coronavirus several times. There are still people among us who have never contracted COVID-19. Two questions arise here. Why does SARS-CoV-2 seem to bypass them? And: are new mutations a greater threat to these people then? Here’s what doctors say about it.

1. Most people who believe they did not have COVID-19 are thought to have probably caught the virus but did not know it
2. Another possibility is that these people strictly adhere to the rules of the sanitary regime
3. Scientists suspect that those who have not had an infection may protect genes (although this issue is still being investigated)
4. Doctors can’t predict whether people who have avoided COVID-19 and lack natural immunity may be seriously ill
5. For those who have not experienced coronavirus infection, however, medics have some important advice
6. More information can be found on the Onet homepage.

The coronavirus continues to change. What does it mean?

We are in the third year of the pandemic, and almost everyone knows at least one person who has had COVID-19. However, there is still a small group of people who still haven’t had SARS-CoV-2 infection. They can be considered lucky. But scientists and doctors see a problem here. It is about the still mutating coronavirus.

The fact that the virus is constantly changing is actually the only certain thing that can be said about SARS-CoV-2. «Let us not delude ourselves that the virus will end up with a mutation BA.5. Such thinking would be naïve »- Dr. Aneta Afelt, a member of the COVID-19 advisory team at the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences, emphasized in a recent interview with Medonet. WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan spoke in a similar vein: “We must be prepared for COVID-19 waves – each new variant will be more infectious – more infected will translate into more hospitalizations and more cases of illness.”

All of this raises the question: are people who have not had COVID-19 and therefore developed this “natural immunity” (after contracting it) more susceptible to further variants of the coronavirus? Before that, however, it is worth asking, how did it happen that such a contagious pathogen as the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus still “bypasses them”?

Why have some people been able to avoid COVID-19? Three possibilities

There are several explanations for this state of affairs. One of the most widespread theories is that these people probably caught the virus but did not know it. She talked about it, among others Dr. Tara Hurst, Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences at Birmingham City University (England). «There is a high probability that they were infected but had no symptoms. I would say that this is a group of 45 to 90 percent. people »- noted in the interview« Birmingham Live ». Or it may be that those who had very mild symptoms just dismissed them, thinking they were experiencing a cold.

Another explanation for the absence of infection among some is the stringent precautions taken to protect against the coronavirus. Some people have made efforts to isolate themselves at home, avoid large gatherings and stay up to date on vaccinations, according to infectious disease specialist Dr. Scott Roberts. And when they “met with family or friends, they could encourage them to undergo a coronavirus screening test early.”

The third possible option is the role of genes. According to Dr. Hurst, there is a small group of people who may never actually have had the coronavirus and have not been vaccinated. «There are really few of these people. It is difficult to say what exactly is going on with their organisms. While they can become infected with the coronavirus, their cells are not affected. And this means that COVID-19 will not develop in them »- explains the specialist. «It’s possible that people have genes or something that causes their immune systems to work differently. Maybe they don’t have the receptors to which the virus binds and eventually gets into the cell », Scott Roberts theorized. So far, the role of genes in shaping resistance to COVID-19 is unclear, but scientists are looking very closely at this issue.

You haven’t had COVID-19, are you more at risk of coronavirus mutations?

Dr. Scott Roberts emphasizes that there are currently different levels of protection against COVID-19. The people with the highest level of protection are the vaccinated and infected people. Immediately behind are those who were vaccinated but not infected, followed by those who were infected but not vaccinated, or vaccination was incomplete. People who have not been vaccinated or infected have the lowest immunity.

As the Health website notes, there is no certainty that people who have avoided COVID-19 so far and do not have this natural immunity will become seriously ill from the variant. ‘At the moment there are many questions that scientists still have no answer to,’ said Dr Roberts. One of the unknowns is, for example, what level of immunity we get from coronavirus infection.

There are also questions about the type of immunity a person can acquire after being infected. ‘Because SARS-CoV-2 has mutated so much, it can bypass these antibodies,’ notes Dr Roberts.

A guide for people who did not suffer from COVID-19

Dr. Scott Roberts and pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Andrew Handel have some tips for people who still haven’t experienced SARS-CoV-2 infection. They will help protect against COVID-19.

It is worth doing:

Get vaccinated.

Stay on top of supplemental dosages.

Wear a face mask indoors.

Maintain physical distance from people outside of your immediate circle.

When you are in the room with others, open the window for better ventilation.

To prevent spreading the virus to other people, test yourself regularly.

Follow the covid situation in your community.

Avoid:

Deliberately exposing yourself to coronavirus infection.

Wearing a mask on the chin or under the nose.

Crowded spaces and poorly ventilated places.