A new study published in the national journal Nature indicates that exposure to other viruses, such as the common cold or the flu, or earlier variant of the coronavirus, may serve as extra protection against the coronavirus.
This is no substitute for the protection offered by the vaccine, but having previously contracted a virus like a cold, flu or even the MERS or SARS variants do offer a level of protection.
The study is called “Pre-existing polymerase-specific T cells expand in abortive seronegative SARS-CoV-2,” and it supposes that T-cells (a form of white blood cells), found to be prevalent in healthcare workers showed higher resistance levels to the covid after exposure to one of the endemic viruses listed above.
Previous exposure could have also led to asymptomatic Covid amongst the test subjects which could have lessened the severity of symptoms. The prevalence of the T-cells could also be an indication of exposure to the virus in the past and the development of a "memory bank" in the body, adding extra protection.
Associate Professor in Cellular Microbiology at the University of Reading Simon Clarke commented on the results of the study, saying: It could be a grave mistake to think that anyone who has recently had a cold is protected against Covid-19, as coronaviruses only account for 10-15% of colds,” this was reported by International Business Times.