Are some people just naturally immune to covid?

[Betinamay]

This year I’ve sat next to 2 people at work who were coughing and sneezing and went on to test positive to coronavirus. I’ve been slobbered over by my 2 dc when they had coronavirus and I’ve not made any attempts to socially distance from my dh when he had coronavirus. I have so far not caught it though and been doing 2x week lateral flow tests and pcr tests when family and work colleagues had it so not been asymptomatic as far as I know.

@TheVanguardSix

Apparently one of the blood types (O, I think) has more natural immunity to it. There was quite a lot in the media about it at one time.

It's definitely not 'O blood types have more immunity to covid' -we're all up for grabs- but studies have shown that those with O+ blood type tend to have milder symptoms/less chance of being hospitalised for covid. Those with blood type A seem to have a more severe response to the virus/more hospitalisations. So although no blood type makes you 'more' or 'less' immune to covid, the severity of the virus seems to be linked to blood type.

You can literally Google it (I’ve just checked) and many items will come up about O being less susceptible to infection in the first place as well as potentially less severe.

That research from 2020 has been superseded. It's no longer believed to be relevant what blood type.

I've often wondered about this. Both dc were in education when it all started, before jabs, mixing with other students. Nothing other than a cold. I suppose it's possible they had it and could have been asymptomatic as testing wasn't freely available then but still, if that was the case how did I not catch it from them? Normally I catch everything going. A friend of theirs had what we assumed was flu right at the start, terrible coughing and trouble breathing but not bad enough to seek medical help, dd got a mild cold shortly afterwards, I had nothing. Even if that WAS covid, it still doesn't explain how I didn't catch it. I find it really odd that in nearly two years, in an area where covid is through the roof, we haven't had it yet to our knowledge.

Somebody I know is immune and so is his eldest son . They both have a blood disorder ( not sure yet if this has any bearing) His two middle sons do not have this blood disorder and both caught covid. He has not been vaccinated and was asked to go for an antibody test. Apparently he was told a certain antibody was so high he could probably lick the virus and not catch it. He is having various blood tests done to try to find out why. I would be sceptical about this if I hadn’t been there when he got the phone call from the NHS.

I’ve worked with some covid patients throughout, admittedly with a mostly surgical mask occasionally a ffp3 plus my magic plastic apron too. I’ve not caught it yet. I’ve had two antibody tests that are negative so I know I’ve not had it.

I don’t think I’m immune, combo of the vaccine working well and ppe and a massive dose of luck as my colleagues haven’t all been so lucky. I go out and about when we haven’t been in lockdowns and been in U.K. holidays last year and this so I haven’t stayed at home religiously avoiding it.

But I don’t easily catch illness (pre pandemic). Maybe a cold or cough every two years and can’t remember the last stomach bug I had. Not having kids probably helps that. Tho I’m social and spend time in crowds at gigs etc.

@confuseddotcom090

Lots of people have tested positive, but a US analysis of tests from last winter showed that many were actually influenza A or B. There was a paper published on it. It was a nonsense that flu had disappeared. All the hospitals wanted it to be covid as well, as they got paid more, so they kept quiet about it.

I don't see why it would be any different here.

Lots of people think they've had it thanks to a positive PCR, but only an antibody test will tell you for sure.

You do know hospitals test for flu a/b too? We were testing last year alongside covid and guess what flu was very very minimal. Probably due to covid measures. Who would of thought they could work eh?

The covid swab in hospital now can be ran for several viruses including flu. No one is pretending flu is covid FFS.

There is definitely variation between individuals on susceptibility to any infection. I, for example, have never had flu. OK I’ve been having the flu jab for the last 15 years, but for the 40+ prior to that it was just me and my immune system. It went through my sixth form like a dose of salts - never caught it. We had my grandparents sick with it in our house so we could look after them - never caught it, even though I was doing a lot of caring.

Caught Covid, though.