Last Updated on July 15, 2021 by Team THIP
Quick Take
A few Facebook users have put up posts claiming that having a common cold is better than getting vaccinated. They refer to a recently published research on the same topic. We fact-checked and found that they failed to take into consideration some key limitations of the research. We term the claim as mostly false.
The Claim
Referring to a recent study published where researchers found that under certain conditions having a common cold may inhibit you from getting the novel Coronavirus or Covid-19, some social media users claim that vaccination is no more needed. Referring to the push for vaccination as a conspiracy despite these new findings, one user wrote, “…there’s hundreds of billions to be made with newfangled concoctions.” Such posts can be seen here, and here.
Snapshots of 2 such posts are also given below:
Fact Check
Is there a study that says common cold can prevent Covid-19?
Yes. A recent research suggests that the common cold can prevent Covid-19. Research done by Yale University found, “Exposure to the rhinovirus, the most frequent cause of the common cold, can protect against infection by the virus which causes COVID-19.”
The results of this research were published June 15 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
Does this mean having a common cold is equal to getting vaccinated?
NO. There are multiple limitations of the research findings. They are mentioned in the report itself but were missed by the social media users.
First, the research was done within a laboratory environment by exposing human bronchial epithelial cell tissue to rhinovirus and COVID-19. The research is still not followed up with real-life clinical trials on humans. Lab testing can sometimes be subject to errors.
Second, the researchers of the study are still unclear on how to apply the findings as a potential treatment. They mention, “It is unclear how early in infection these defenses function.” This implies that further studies are still needed before being hopeful about applying this in real-life settings.
While the research creates an option for further studies on methods to combat the novel coronavirus, a current comparison with the vaccine is not viable. As of the date of publishing this article, the vaccines seem to be the best way to fight the Covid-19 infection.
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