- Joined
- Sep 28, 2011
- Messages
- 27
I think the difference in genes means that we react differently to the virus ie. from few symptoms to severe symptoms. If you’re young and healthy and have a genetic disposition to get more sick in general you should still be fine, but young people can also get sick and with when if enough get infected statistically some young people will also need intensive care and respiratory support although most should be fine after.Sky News just had an immunologist explain why Covid-19 affects people in such drastically different ways. She said it’s essentially because of individuals immunity genes and it’s the same reason why some people get colds often and others, sometimes in close proximity, don’t.
This difference in immunity is vital to the survival of the human race. If we all had the same type of immune system then potentially a single infectious disease could wipe out the entire planet.
It was a short interview and I would have liked to have heard if there was some way of knowing how susceptible individuals were. People with compromised immune systems due to underlying health conditions and/or because they take immunosuppressants due to organ transplants have been identified as high risk but there will be other individuals including young healthy people who will be at risk because of their immunity genes.
I wish people who don’t seem to grasp the severity of the situation and have not been enacting social distancing measures could have seen this interview.
This also happens with the flu although mainly if you have lung disease like asthma. They way I see it the biggest challenge is the capacity in the health care system and the amount of intensive care beds and respirators available.