Your body remembers common cold coronaviruses from childhood. How can you get the same immunity to COVID-19? COVID-19 boosters may lead to a stable antibody and T cell population in years to come

For a glimpse into the future of SARS-CoV-2 immunity, scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) are investigating how the immune system builds its defenses against common cold coronaviruses (CCCs).

According to a new LJI study, published recently in Cell Host & Microbe, adults have stable memory responses of CCC-fighting antibodies and T cells, presumably derived from multiple exposures to CCCs in childhood. Thanks to this immune cell army, CCC infections in adulthood tend to be infrequent and mild.

These findings may be a clue to how immunity can build up against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and the leading researchers think the COVID-19 booster shots available today may be critical for long-term immunity.

What do coronaviruses have in common?

With the Omicron 5 subvariant on the loose, more and more people are suffering from breakthrough infections and reinfections.

“Everyone is wondering where this is going to go. Will we need to keep getting boosters or redesigning the vaccines?” says LJI Professor Alessandro Sette, Dr.Biol.Sci.

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