Why Some People Never Become Infected With COVID-19
With the ongoing surge of COVID-19 infections in China, many are shocked by its scale and worried about a potential new wave hitting the rest of the world.
How can you protect yourself in the event of another tsunami? Here’s a detailed look at what factors affect our region. antiviral immunity.
Some people never get infected with viruses
When looking at pandemics in history, it is impossible to ignore the impact of Black Death. It swept across Europe and cut the population by half. Yet, some people didn’t get sick.
Cholera ravaged Europe but some people were uninfected despite eating the same cholera-tainted food and drinking the same cholera water.
Many doctors and nurses dedicated their entire lives to the leprous tribals, but they never suffered from leprosy.
Two human challenge trials Two independent medical groups in Boston and San Francisco, each with 62 and 50 healthy volunteers respectively, carried out the research during 1918 Spanish Flu.
Regardless of how many aggressive means were taken to try to infect people (even dropping mucus or bodily fluids from flu patients into the healthy volunteers’ eyes, noses, or throats), none of the participants became infected.
A SARS-CoV-2 human challenge was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. published in Nature In 2022, it was found that only slightly over half of 36 healthy volunteers who were inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 virus intramuscularly contracted mild symptoms. The other half were infected. So, the experiment was continued with 34 participants.
This experiment goes to show that some people just don’t get infected.
Viruses ‘See’ People with weak immune systems
Although people might look the same on the outside of their bodies, the microscopic world that is viruses makes us all look quite different. Our immune systems look different, too.
Our immune system was designed with sophistication. It acts as an army that protects us 24/7 from various bacteria and viruses.
Viral infections need the right cells to replicate. If a person’s cells are in a good antiviral state, there is no soil for the virus to spread its roots, so to speak, so that person won’t become infected.
Our nose’s mucosal epithelial cell can release a substance that turns it into an antiviral condition.
This substance is known as interferon. It blocks the virus’s replication, causing it to break down its protein and enzymes.
Further investigation reveals a range of immune cells such as macrophages, natural killer (NK) and lymphocytes. Each cell has its own special abilities to fight viruses.
Even if infected you will only experience mild symptoms and then quickly recover.
Research published in the journal Scientific Reports of Nature It has been shown that the earlier the infection is, the less likely you are to develop severe symptoms of COVID.
On the contrary, if a person has poor antiviral immunity, the virus is more likely to infect cells, replicate, and establish a devastating presence in the person’s body.
There are two states of immunity
There are generally two distinct states of immune response—one healthy and effective, the other not.
The antiviral status is the first. This state is marked by strong antiviral immunity due to immune cells that secrete interferons to eliminate viruses. The second is chronic systemic inflammation. This condition makes it more vulnerable to viral infections.
A study published in Nature Medicine The causes and consequences of chronic inflammation are summarized below.
Purposeful Activities Promote Antiviral Immunity
People often think of improving nutrition and developing antibodies when they talk about strengthening immunity.
Those factors are important; boosting nutrition and adding exercise to one’s regimen will certainly help. There are also internal ways that we can improve our ability to fight off viruses.
Each person has different emotions, thoughts and mental states. Although people believe that thoughts are intangible, they actually have material applications. This has been proven by science.
There are two types of happiness concepts in psychology: hedonic or eudaimonic. Hedonic happiness is a joy that can be gained from pleasure, while eudaimonic happiness comes from the fulfillment of a purpose or finding meaning. A 2013 study Published in a leading journal, the study found that people who are inclined to pursue justice or noble goals (eudaimonics) have higher levels of interferon gene expression and ability to produce antibodies and significantly lower chronic inflammatory genes.
Furthermore, according to a Harvard University and University of California, Berkeley, study published in Current Opinion in Psychology in 2015 (pdfPeople who are honest with themselves are less susceptible to getting a virus infection. This is because cortisol responsiveness to liars tends to be significantly higher than truth-tellers. Higher cortisol responsiveness means that the body can release stress hormones more easily.
Corticosteroids, cortisol and cortisol can inhibit immune cells. suppress the body’s ability to fight viruses. Dishonesty will result in a decrease in antiviral capability.
Research has also shown that people who are looking for purpose in their lives have a higher quality of life. stronger natural killer cell function and immunity.
A study was conducted by the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in the Departments of Behavioral Sciences and Neurological Sciences at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago on the important determinant of health outcomes and mortality in community-dwelling elderly persons in the United States.
Researchers discovered that having a stronger sense of purpose in life Effectively prevents fatalities. The risk of death for someone with a high purpose in life score was 43 percent lower than that of someone with a low score. Thus, developing and refining people’s sense of purpose can protect health and potentially save lives.
Scientific evidence shows that thoughts, attitudes, and morals can have a profound impact on the immune system’s genes and functions, hormone levels, as well as overall antiviral immunity.
Our thoughts, taken as a whole can influence whether we become infected by an epidemic or if we will become seriously ill.
Traditional cultures believe that people who are generous, altruistic and honest and have a calm and humble disposition are healthier. We now know that they have high levels of interferon and strong NK cell function. This is why they are immune to viral infections. They are less susceptible to viruses.
People with these characteristics tend to be more calm and have better mental health. They also have less tendency to get anxious or depressed.
My friend is a person who has faith, has kindness and often volunteers her time to help others. She has also been in the COVID Ward every day during the pandemic. This friend has not been infected yet with COVID-19. There were many others like her, who also remained healthy during the pandemic.
There have been several notable developments in China during the recent COVID spike. unusual number of high-profile Chinese officials who have died COVID-19 infection. As high-ranking officials of China, they are able to access state-of-the art medical care and can provide first-class food and nutrients. They are now dying because of this wave.
We are all aware of fake news and falsifications in China. These include the cover-up and concealment COVID-19 information, suppression of whistleblowers and suppression of those who dare speak truth.
The high-ranking officials in China—not all, but many of them—did not speak the truth to the people. They were either involved in the cover-ups or they helped to cover them up. From a biological perspective, their bodies’ stress hormone levels may be much higher than people who do not bear the stress of dishonesty. Their immunity would have been severely affected if they had lived in this state for a long time.
These officials do not put the well-being of the Chinese people before profits or power. The interferon gene expression levels of these officials’ immune cells are expected to be lower that those who care for others.
They might have been less susceptible to severe diseases and more likely to contract viral infections if these officials had had more kind hearts and virtuous minds.
A Chinese tradition says: “Illnesses are caused by 70 percent mental and 30 percent physical.” During the pandemic, it’s not only important to keep a good physical state, but to also keep a kind and virtuous mindset to aid your immune system.
The views expressed in this article reflect the opinions of the author, and not necessarily the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health encourages professional discussion and friendly debate. These guidelines will help you submit your opinion piece. our form here.
Dr. Yuhong Dong is a Chinese medical doctor and co-founder of a Swiss Biotech company. He was previously a senior medical scientist for antiviral drug design at Novartis Pharma in Switzerland.
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