A new study has shown that being previously infected with a coronavirus that causes “common cold” may reduce the severity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infections. 

The study also demonstrated that the immunity developed after the previous non-SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infections does not prevent individuals from getting COVID-19. This study which was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, offered significant insights into the immune response against SARS-CoV-2. This may have considerable implications on COVID 19 vaccine development. 

The study observed the electronic medical record data from individuals who a respiratory panel test result between May 18, 2015 and March 11, 2020. In the study, COVID 19 hospitalized patients who had a previous positive CRP-PCR test result for a coronavirus had significantly lower odds of being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), and lower trending odds of requiring mechanical ventilation during COVID> The chances of survival was also more in COVID 19 hospitalized patients with a previous positive test result for a “common cold” coronavirus. However, a previous infection with common cold coronavirus did not prevent someone from getting infected with SARS-CoV-2.