“Never Covid” or “Novids”, are the people who, despite their high exposure to the virus, have never tested positive.
We are 2 years into the Covid-19 pandemic, and it is noticeable that the majority of people in the United States have tested positive at least once, while many have tested positive more than once.
Of course, there are also those who never got infected, the “Never Covid” or “Novids” – people who, despite their high exposure to the virus, never tested positive.
Scientists are trying to reason and understand why this happens, hoping to discover these protective factors that keep people from getting sick, with the ultimate goal of benefiting others in the future.
Some key factors that have been singled out for Novids to “avoid” Covid are the following:
- Genetic makeup
- Vaccination
- Taking precautions like distancing and wearing a mask
- The ability to telecommute
“There are probably many different explanations. One of the most important is vaccination,” stated the Dr. Erica Johnson in Heathline, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, who chairs the American Board of Internal Medicine’s Board of Infectious Diseases.
“Age, timing and type of immune response, whether you’re exposed before or after vaccination, chronic diseases…all of these are involved in a person’s immune response.”
“Some people were more faithful to containment measures, such as vaccination and boosting, wearing a mask, social distancing and avoiding crowds, working remotely and avoiding travel and locations that increase risk,” said David Souleles, MPH, director of the Covid-19 Response. at the University of California, Irvine and director of the MPH Program & Practice at the UCI Program in Public Health.
“All of these measures work to reduce the risk of infection and, when combined together, can provide significant protection against infection with COVID-19.”
The role of genetics
Recent research has shown that some people with a certain genetic make-up tend to be more susceptible to Covid-19 or an equally serious disease. Nevertheless, the scientists also emphasize that certain types of genes could have a protective character, which is already known in the case of other diseases.
“We’re trying to understand whether people’s individual genetic makeup can explain why some people don’t get COVID-19 despite heavy exposure to the virus. To test this hypothesis, we are using human genetic techniques to study those people who appear naturally resistant to SARS-CoV-2,” stated the Dr András N. Spaan, a clinical microbiologist at Rockefeller University in New York and one of the co-founders of the international Human Genetics COVID Effort. A person’s immune response to other health conditions and diseases may also provide some protection against COVID-19, some studies suggest.
For example, researchers reported in a study in May that people with food allergies appeared to have a lower risk of COVID-19.
There has also been “some debate about whether there is a protective effect from exposure to other coronaviruses, such as the common cold,” Johnson said.
How some Novids did it
Some will say that not getting stuck so far was very simply because they were careful and followed the safety measures and rules. But some simply didn’t know they were positive and passed it off like that.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention they estimate that at least 70 percent of Americans already have a COVID-19 infection with several of them unknowingly contracting the disease.
“It’s possible that some people had COVID-19 and didn’t know it because they didn’t get tested,” Souleles said. “They may be asymptomatic or have mild symptoms and attribute those symptoms to a cold, flu or allergies.” A combination of reduced attention to preventive measures such as covering and physical distancing, coupled with the rise of vaccine-resistant and immune-resistant variants of COVID-19 such as BA.5, could shrink the population of Novids.
Dr David Culpepper, clinical director of telehealth company LifeMD, said that while wearing a mask and avoiding large gatherings can help people avoid COVID-19, “Most of us know at least one person who has taken all available precautions and is still infected with COVID-19.”
“I’m not suggesting that you don’t wear a mask and take other precautions. You should do everything in your power to reduce your risk of contracting the virus,” Culpepper said. “I’m just pointing out that some people who have contracted COVID-19 have taken a lot of precautions and were just unlucky. And there is also a certain amount of luck in those who have avoided it.”
“Now that we live in an almost post-pandemic world where many of us are vaccinated, I’m not as strict as I used to be,” Grant said. “Recently I had to start wearing glasses, so I don’t like wearing my mask while wearing my glasses. I try to avoid crowded places, but as a movie buff, I can’t help but frequent indoor movie theaters. I don’t follow my made-up rules either, so at this point I’m probably just lucky.”
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