Immunity against seasonal human coronavirus OC43 mitigates fatal deterioration of COVID-19

An important characteristic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2) is its variations. During the ongoing pandemic, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths are starkly different among countries, with rates more than 10 times higher in North America and in Europe than in East Asia as of March 2021 (WHO, 2021, Wiersinga et al., 2020). The severity of COVID-19 also varies considerably. Most infected cases have no symptoms or recover with mild, self-limiting symptoms, while around 5 percent of infected patients suffer from deadly pneumonia (Wiersinga et al., 2020).
Source: International Journal of Infectious Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Source Type: research