This Is How Your Immune System Reacts to the Coronavirus

And what it means for treatment

Dana G Smith
Elemental
Published in
6 min readMar 24, 2020

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Photo illustration of the coronavirus Covid-19.
Photo: Bertrand Blay/iStock/Getty Images Plus

PPeople infected with the novel coronavirus can have markedly different experiences. Some report having nothing more than symptoms of a mild cold; others are hospitalized and even die as their lungs become inflamed and fill up with fluid. How can the same virus result in such different outcomes?

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Dana G Smith
Elemental

Health and science writer • PhD in 🧠 • Words in Scientific American, STAT, The Atlantic, The Guardian • Award-winning Covid-19 coverage for Elemental