The body’s response to allergic asthma also helps protect against COVID-19

Here’s why people with allergic asthma are at lower COVID-19 risk A protein called IL-13 mounts defenses that include virus-trapping mucus and armor that shields airway cells from infection. Tina Hesman Saey Science News

Scientists are discovering a surprising bright side for some people with asthma: They are less susceptible to COVID-19.

The very same immune system proteins that trigger excess mucus production and closing of airways in people with allergic asthma may erect a shield around vulnerable airway cells, researchers report in the April 19 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The finding helps explain why people with allergic asthma seem to be less susceptible to COVID-19 than those with related lung ailments, and could eventually lead to new treatments for the coronavirus.    ...