Why Do Some People Not Get COVID?

Has everyone in your vicinity been infected with COVID-19 except you? You may be feeling like a superhuman; all you need is a cape and a mask to start fighting crime. Indeed, you might be one because genetic mutation may be one of the reasons why you have not caught COVID-19 yet. But most probably, it’s not the superhuman kind of genetic mutation, and you may still get infected even if you haven’t so far. So don’t put on that cape just yet, but do wear a mask (the surgical kind).

Possible Reasons Why Some People Do Not Get COVID

Why haven’t I had COVID-19, you may ask? There may be a number of reasons, right from genetic variations to cell memory retention. Research is still going strong in the field, so there is nothing more than possible theories at the moment. Nonetheless, one of these probabilities may apply to you, so listen up.

Genetics Can Reduce the Risk of COVID

It is said that your genetic makeup plays a major role in determining your level of immunity. Did you know that a few people are naturally immune to HIV due to some mutation in their genes? The same could probably be the case with people who never had COVID-19. Please note that scientists haven’t found any mutation that would make someone completely immune to the viral infection. Now that will be a major discovery and achievement in genetics!

But there is a possibility that your genetic variation may prompt your immune system to fight off the virus before symptoms start showing up. It will be like you haven’t been infected at all, but the truth is, you haven’t been affected by the infection. If you test for the virus, say with a flowflex COVID-19 test, during this period, the result will be positive, but there won’t be any visible symptoms.

Allergies May Turn out to Be a Little Extra Protection

So far, your allergies have been the bane of your life. But they just might prove to be a boon in the fight against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Did you know that people with allergies have a much lower chance of getting infected with the virus? That is because, in most cases, allergic reactions have developed certain preventive measures against COVID-19 entering the body. For instance, if you have asthma, then the excess mucus produced by the membranes won’t let the virus enter your system.

Other Theories Why Some People Don’t Get COVID

If they have neither any genetic mutations nor any allergies, then why are some people immune to COVID-19 still, making their lateral flow test purchase go to waste since it always comes back negative? As mentioned before, allergies and genetics are just a few of the possible reasons for COVID immunity. It is quite probable that you had once been infected with an old version of the coronavirus (with common cold symptoms), which gave you some degree of natural immunity against this new version.

For those who don’t know, the outbreak of coronavirus in late 2019 wasn’t the first one. The virus has been vexing humans since the 1960s, maybe even earlier. Thus, you may have been infected with one of those earlier versions of COVID in the past, which may have prompted your pre-existing T cells (white blood cells) to respond to the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the ongoing variant) faster than others, making you naturally immune.

In very rare cases, it may be possible that your body lacks the receptors that the COVID-19 virus uses to gain entry. Such a deficiency is called a genetic defect, and people who have it may be completely immune to the virus, have never had COVID-19, nor will ever get infected with it in the future.

It may be similar to the CCR5 receptor defects in people who are immune to HIV. If scientists are able to identify and research this genetic defect in COVID-resistant people or point out the relevant receptor gene, then it may revolutionize the treatment methods of SARS-CoV-2, eventually bringing about a new era where the entire world population would be immune to the virus!

Final Thoughts

All in all, over the years, it has become as natural for you to not get COVID-19 as it is to get infected with the virus. If you have not caught COVID-19 yet, then it is quite likely that your genes may have provided some form of protection against the virus. You may experience no symptoms in such cases, even if your COVID-19 tests, like the Healgen lateral flow tests, have come back positive. Also, certain allergies may prevent the virus from entering your body, but you may experience mild symptoms in this case. Furthermore, your T cell memory may also have contributed to the protective layer against coronavirus. But if it’s none of the aforementioned reasons, then it might be possible, still highly unlikely, that you may have a genetic defect that makes you completely immune to the virus.