COVID-19 and the Common Cold

[Richard-H]

If COVID-19 and the common cold are both coronaviruses, have their been any studies of whether people who've recently had a common cold - and built up the antibodies to defeat the common cold, are more resilient in fighting COVID-19?

 

[RodISHI]

I think that is probably an unknown at this point. It does appear from some early reports that if someone has had a flu shot they may be more susceptible to this virus.

Best way to build immunity is vitamin C and D from what I have been reading. Some are being treated with high vitamin C too.

 

[ReinyDays]

The "Common Cold" is caused by at least two families of viruses ... both Coronavirus and Rhinovirus ... and by no means are these "monolithic", there's perhaps thousands of different species and the human immunization system only targets one at a time ... we can catch a cold from one species only to catch another cold from another species a couple weeks later ... something mothers know all to well ...

If cross immunization was possible, I'd think folks wold be investigating this ... but generally speaking it's not ... new strains have new ways to attach to cells and infect ... meaning the immunization system has to create new antigens for each new infection ...

Wash your hands and stop picking your friend's nose ...

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Things are not nearly as bad as the media would have us believe.

NYC is an anomaly. NYC is crowded, older people live downtown and they use public transportation a lot. In addition, it has been a cold, wet, miserable winter, the perfect breeding ground for a new common cold virus.

For some reason the media is playing it up, following the Trump government's lead, and they don't tell you the complete story, not even close. Stories about the crisis are more exciting and good for ratings.

I am not concerned with the horrible stories coming out of the worst case scenarios, China, Italy, Iran, and Spain while ignoring what is happening elsewhere in the world. We have no idea what went on in those countries.

We do know what is happening in the U.S., and that is my sole concern. In the U.S., if a person below the age of 50 is afflicted by Covid-19, it is so rare it makes the six o'clock news. The vast majority of people who die from Covid-19 are elderly with underlying health issues.

Have you noticed? Take away New York, New Orleans, and Detroit, each having special circumstances, and the media has very little to talk about concerning new cases and the death toll.

Look at the 49 states not named N.Y., noting New Jersey is impacted by the N.Y.C. metro area. United States Coronavirus: 161,358 Cases and 2,972 Deaths - Worldometer

Look at the column entitled "New Deaths." That column is quite unremarkable. People die from complications arising from the common cold, people already with lung disease, heart disease, pneumonia, etc.

For example, California is one of the hot spots. The media loves big numbers. So, they will tell you CA has 7,248 cases of the common cold caused by Covid-19. The media won't tell you CA has the largest population in the U.S., and the total number of deaths is a paltry 145 in a population of 39.56 million. 14 older, sick people died of complications of the coronavirus cold in one day, fourteen!

The steps being taken by the various state governors are important, but it is important to put matters in perspective, too.

 

[MarathonMike]

The "Common Cold" is caused by at least two families of viruses ... both Coronavirus and Rhinovirus ... and by no means are these "monolithic", there's perhaps thousands of different species and the human immunization system only targets one at a time ... we can catch a cold from one species only to catch another cold from another species a couple weeks later ... something mothers know all to well ...

If cross immunization was possible, I'd think folks wold be investigating this ... but generally speaking it's not ... new strains have new ways to attach to cells and infect ... meaning the immunization system has to create new antigens for each new infection ...

Wash your hands and stop picking your friend's nose ...

That was informative thanks. So in your opinion, is using the plasma of recently recovered COVID-19 patients a viable "cure"?

 

[ReinyDays]

That was informative thanks. So in your opinion, is using the plasma of recently recovered COVID-19 patients a viable "cure"?

I don't think so ... by "plasma" do you mean the salt water component of blood? ... then certainly not, or a simple saline IV would be curative and obviously that's not the case ...

Your thinking of that Charlton Heston movie The Omega Man ... nah, that's all bullshit Hollywood crap ... we can't typically take antigens from one person and give them to another and expect the antigens to work ... these new antigens would be treated as another foreign invader and quickly wiped out ... and I'm assuming you mean patients who recover from Covid-19 infection by means other than dying ... death stops the infectious state rather abruptly ... just saying ...