"Get a cold, don't get killed by Covid-19..."
Highlights
• Does prior infection with seasonal human coronavirus OC43 protect against critical COVID-19?• Findings: In an international multi-center study (four tertiary care referral centers) inpatients without anti-HCoV OC43 NP antibodies had an increased risk of critical disease (adjusted odds ratio 2.68 [95% CI 1.09 - 7.05]), higher than the risk by increased age or BMI, and lower than the risk by male sex. A risk stratification based on sex and OC43 serostatus was derived from this analysis.
• Meaning: Prior infections with seasonal HCoV OC43 have a protective effect against critical COVID-19.