Cold infection may help build immunity against the Covid-19 virus, study suggests
- Covid-19 infections reduce the risk of contracting some types of common colds caused by other, milder endemic coronaviruses, a study finds.
- People previously infected with Covid-19 were about 50% less likely to have a symptomatic cold caused by the coronavirus, compared with people who were, at the time, fully vaccinated and had not yet contracted Covid.
- The study could lead to “new strategies to develop better vaccines that not only address current coronaviruses, but also any potential future coronaviruses that may emerge.”
If you’ve been sick with Covid-19, chances are you’re protected against… the common cold, that common upper respiratory infection (nose, nasal passages, throat). That’s according to a new study published in the journal Science Transnational Medicine : Previous Covid-19 infections reduce the risk of contracting certain types of common colds caused by other, milder endemic coronaviruses.
Less risk of colds in case of Covid infection
To reach this conclusion, researchers from Boston Medical Center in the United States examined the PCR screening tests for Covid-19 of nearly 5,000 people who had received medical care related to the infection between November 2020 and October 2021. Taking into account other factors such as age, sex and health history, they found that people previously infected with the coronavirus had about 50% less risk of having a symptomatic cold caused by the coronavirus, compared to people who were, at the time, fully vaccinated and who had not yet contracted Covid-19.
While more than 200 viruses can cause the common cold, coronaviruses are estimated to be responsible for about one in five colds. Now, the team of researchers has linked protection against colds caused by coronavirus to cellular responses that kill the virus. “for two specific viral proteins”we can read in a communicatedwhich does not specify them.
Towards broader immunity with a single vaccine?
While these proteins in question are not currently used in most vaccines, scientists are proposing to add them in the future. Indeed, they could be the subject “new strategies to develop better vaccines that not only address current coronaviruses, but also any potential future coronaviruses that may emerge”says Dr. Manish Sagar, lead author of the work. As a reminder, at present, “Current vaccines target the ‘spike’ protein that attaches to the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.”
“If we could find vaccine targets that protect against multiple viruses, [cela permettrait de] “give the population broader immunity with a single vaccine”concludes the researcher. Vaccine which remains, according to him, “the best defense against severe Covid-19 infection, hospitalization and death.”
Note that if Covid-19 infection can protect us from colds, the reverse is also true. According to a recent study, a cold infection could offer protection against the coronavirus, thanks to the immune cells (T cells) that it generates.