If a person has a cold, they are much less likely to get the coronavirus at the same time. Think of the cells of the body in the nose, throat, and lungs as a row of houses. Once the virus enters these houses, it can leave the door open to let other viruses in, or it can close the door behind it and enjoy the solitude of the house, the cell. This is the behavior of the influenza virus, for example, one of the most selfish and widespread viruses in the world.
Scientists at the University of Glasgow suggest that rhinovirus, which causes the common cold, may protect the human body from coronavirus infection. Of course, we are not talking about permanent immunity, but rather the period of time that the rhinovirus is present in the cells. They came to this conclusion as a result of an experiment in which a copy of our respiratory mucosa, made of cells of the same type, was simultaneously infected with coronavirus and rhinovirus. It turns out that when both viruses gain access to cells at the same time, the rhinovirus prevails and does not allow the new coronavirus to enter. Moreover, the experiment showed that this happens in each of three scenarios: when rhinovirus is introduced 24 hours before SARS-CoV-2; when both viruses gain access to cells at the same time; and when the coronavirus is given a daily advantage by being allowed to enter 24 hours before rhinovirus.
“It turns out that rhinovirus suppresses coronavirus, and during the cold season, the number of coronavirus infections will be much lower,” said Dr. Pablo Murcia, as reported by the BBC.
Some viruses want to be the sole invaders of human cells – protecting them from other infections. Tests have also shown that once inside the cell, the rhinovirus triggers the body’s immune response, which prevents the coronavirus from replicating and making its own copies. However, it should be noted that Scottish scientists conducted experiments under laboratory conditions, infecting artificially grown respiratory cells with both viruses. In a living organism, there are many other processes that can significantly affect how viruses interact with cells and with each other. Therefore, conclusions from laboratory experiments should be treated with caution. However, similar cases have been observed before. For example, there is a theory that a large outbreak of rinovirus in some parts of Europe in 2009 may have delayed the swine flu pandemic. But scientists warn not to be fooled.
A person can become infected with the coronavirus after the cold is over and the rhinovirus has left the body. “Hygiene measures and the interaction between viruses can significantly reduce the prevalence of coronavirus, but vaccination still provides the maximum effect,” says Dr. Mursiya. Professor Lawrence Young of Warwick Medical School agrees with his colleague that rhinovirus, which is much more contagious than coronavirus, could slow the spread of coronavirus infection in the fall and winter months.
However, it is still unclear how cold seasons will develop in the coming winters. Most likely, the coronavirus will not disappear, but other infections that were almost non-existent recently due to the global restrictive measures will not only return, but will have a stronger impact on people who have spent a whole year without social contacts and thus have weakened immunity.
Note: On March 24, changes were made to the text of the article to clarify the details of the experiment and to explain the difference between laboratory experiments and real infection.