A recent estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly 60 percent of the US population has been infected with SARS-CoV-2, and the Washington Post writes that those who have not caught COVID-19 could provide insight into how to protect or treat others who do become ill.
The Post notes that those who have dodged infection could harbor genetic variants that protect them, though it could also be due to other precautions they have taken, such as getting vaccinated or staying socially distant, and a dash of luck. Still, it reports that an international team of researchers is screening people who think they might be naturally immune to the coronavirus and has already enrolled 700 people into the study.
"What we are looking for is potentially very rare genetic variants with a very big impact on the individual," Rockefeller University's András Spaan tells the Post.
These findings, the Post notes, could in turn inform drug development as well as lead to more targeted public health advice.