Early on in the pandemic, in 2021, Hugh Potter ate dinner and watched TV next to his wife while she coughed violently from COVID-19, yet he never even sniffled. It's been thought that some people may not have gotten COVID because they were careful to avoid exposure. Alternatively, some people may have been infected but showed no symptoms.
Another possibility is that some people have a genetic advantage that makes them a super-dodger. "Bloody lucky," Potter, 68, said. "Where I work, I think almost everyone has had it.
" A few didn't believe the Pickering, Ont., resident has escaped it since the early years of the pandemic. Now, experts peering into the genes of such rare people have gained some surprising insights.
Last week, scientists writing in the journal Nature described high activity of a specific gene in people who didn't get infected. And in a complementary research project, Potter provided DNA from saliva samples to researchers at McGill University Health Centre looking for those with a golden armour against the virus. Researchers hope by better understanding early immune responses, it could help with developing nasal spray forms of vaccines for the coronavirus, similar to the existing FluMist to prevent influenza.
Christopher Chiu monitored the immune response of volunteers from the moment a person first encounters SARS-CoV-2 throughout the infection to the point when the virus appears to be eliminated. (Thomas Angus/Imperial College London) As much as people may wish.
