You may know one. You may be one of them - the lucky few who have never had Covid despite not being vaccinated. Now we are more than two years into the pandemic, these people could give us greater insight into how to combat the virus and other pandemics in future.
With this in mind, a doctor has put together a list of reasons why some people have seemingly managed to walk between the raindrops and avoid catching Covid. The virus has claimed millions of victims but left many untouched.
Coronavirus first hit the UK at the start of 2020 and is still with us today. But unlike two years ago, it is now regarded as being mainly under control, thanks to the vaccine programme. So far, the virus has killed more than 180,000 people and infected 22.7 million people in the UK.
Using current Government data, seven in 10 people (70 per cent) in England have had Covid - which means 30 per cent of the English population have never caught the virus.
READ MORE : Warning that UK could be on the brink of new Covid wave with virus becoming 'more dangerous'
Or have they? What that actually means is that 30 per cent of English people have never tested positive for Covid. However, the virus is on the rise again with 21,412 new cases reported on June 28.
That is still a huge drop compared to January of this year when there were 179,000 new cases every day. Scientists are now turning to the question of why some people have, seemingly, never had Covid. Several international studies are under way to find the magic spell that helps people dodge the virus.
According to a report in BirminghamLive, Dr Tara Hurst, a lecturer in Biomedical Sciences at Birmingham City University, who is studying this area, contracted Covid herself last autumn and said she's aware of what's dubbed the 'Covid lottery'. She said: "There is a population who say they've never had Covid and then are those poor souls who've had it several times. It is a very complex area which is now attracting a lot of research."
Given that Covid rates are rising, it's especially important to establish what makes some people supposedly immune to Covid. This is all the more crucial given that new variants will arrive on British shores that may be resistant to our vaccines.
So why have some people never had Covid? Here are some theories.
They're super healthy
Dr Hurst said those who had not had any Covid symptoms, or never caught it, could be regarded as "super healthy". But it's more likely they have a more robust immune system.
"This could be down to their genetics, but essentially they have an immune system which is super strong and fights the virus," she said. "They will have good general health, with factors such as good levels of Vitamins C and D. Stress is also a huge factor in this, as high levels of stress can have a negative impact on the immune system."
They behave differently
The way you live and behave can have a big impact on whether you fall prey to Covid. Measures such as wearing a mask when out in public, avoiding large crowds, getting vaccinated and not getting too close (in proximity) to strangers are all proven to reduce your chances of getting the virus.
Just like the common cold, if you live in the countryside and don't come into close contact with people very often, then you're less likely to get it.
They've had Covid but didn't realise it
Dr Hurst said a large number of people who proclaim to have never had coronavirus probably have had it. "There's a high chance they had it but didn't have any symptoms," she said. "I'd say that between 45 to 90 per cent of people who think they've never had it actually have, but were asymptomatic."
She said one study found 45 per cent of people who tested positive actually had no symptoms. And once you've been vaccinated, there is no way of knowing if you had ever had Covid.
You thought you just had a cold
Another group of people who did have Covid simply dismissed it as a cold. This is because as the pandemic continued, the list of symptoms changed.
Dr Hurst said: "Not everyone had a cough or lost their sense of smell and taste. As the different variants arrived, so did the different symptoms and many sufferers would have just shrugged off their dose of the coronavirus, claiming it's just a cold."
Not everyone gets tested
Another factor is testing, which was crucial for gauging the official rates in the population. Some people, because of their jobs (for example, teachers and healthcare workers), had to be tested regularly. Others have never taken a test and if they did, only did a lateral flow one, which isn't as reliable as the PCR test.
They're genetically different
Dr Hurst said there's also a very special – but small – group of people who have never had Covid and haven't been vaccinated. This could be down to luck, but it's more likely there's something going on with their genetics which makes them resistant to viruses such as Covid.
"These people are very rare indeed and there's something going on with their bodies which means they can get the virus but it doesn't affect their cells, which means they don't actually develop Covid," Dr Hurst said. A study is currently under way to delve deeper into the health of these people.
Their 'negative' test was wrong
As the pandemic continued, the most common way to find out if you had Covid was the Lateral Flow Test (LFT). At the height of infections, LFTs were given out free and were readily available and were easy to do.
All people had to do was put the swab up their nose and then wait a short time for the results. But LFTs weren't as reliable and accurate as the more uncomfortable PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests, which involved the gag-inducing swabbing the back of the throat.
Some medics said LFTs were only 40 per cent accurate, which means millions of people who had a "negative" result could in fact have been positive.
The answer is, nobody knows. Dr Hurst said: "I would say to those who've never had it - thank your lucky stars."
Going forward, infections are starting to creep up again and there could be another wave in the autumn and winter and new variants are likely. Dr Hurst said: "Providing you've been vaccinated, the rest is down to common sense and being sensible."
READ NEXT:
- Would you bring up your kids in town? Inside Manchester city centre's baby boom
- Police investigate serious assault and three other incidents after disturbing video circulates showing boy covered in blood and screaming on the ground in Oldham
- 'I have to wear nappies on nights out because of my rare condition'
- Police launch murder probe after man found dead at house in Mossley
- Mum-of-two given devastating 'one year to live' cancer diagnosis now clear due to miraculous treatment
