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Some people have never gotten COVID-19. An obscure gene may be why

A rapid nasal immune response associated with this gene’s activity may help ward off SARS-CoV-2

A packed crowd with a giant empty circle in the middle is shown from above. Three people stand in the empty space..

People who have never had COVID-19 are the exception to the rule. Now a study that tried to intentionally infect people — and in some cases failed — may have found a genetic clue to that unusual resilience.

MicroStockHub/E+/Getty Images Plus

By Jonathan Lambert

Those who’ve dodged COVID-19 for more than four years may have a newly discovered immune response to thank.

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