Nathanael R. Fillmore
Publications / 2022
paper
PNAS2022doi:10.1073/pnas.2213783119

Recent common human coronavirus infection protects against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection: A Veterans Affairs cohort study.

Nathanael R. Fillmore, Raphael E. Szalat, Jennifer La, Westyn Branch-Elliman, Paul A. Monach, Vinh Nguyen, Mehmet K. Samur, Mary T. Brophy, Nhan V. Do, Nikhil C. Munshi

Summary

Recent infections with the common coronavirus strains HCoV-229E and HCoV-OC43 are associated with a significantly lower risk of subsequent SARS-CoV-2 infection. These findings suggest that certain seasonal coronaviruses provide short-term cross-protection, potentially explaining why some individuals exhibit a lower susceptibility to COVID-19.

Key result

Recent infection with HCoV-229E and HCoV-OC43 was associated with a significantly lower incidence rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to patients without documented HCoV infection, with incidence rate ratios of 0.14 and 0.11, respectively.

Key figure

Key figure from Recent common human coronavirus infection protects against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection: A Veterans Affairs cohort study.