Viruses Can Be Deadly
The Claim
Viruses do not harm or kill people.
News posted on
Emerging story
On July 25, 2020, Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai posted an interview on Twitter where he discussed his view on how our immune system works. He suggested that if you have a strong immune system, the coronavirus will be handled by your immune system and turn into just the sniffles. The post was then retweeted and reposted on social media. Some on social media summarized his interview in their reposting by stating that a weak immune system is the cause of death, not the COVID-19 virus.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar discovered that Dr. Ayyadurai describes himself as a scientist, biologist, and entrepreneur. He is running for the U.S. Senate in 2020. Dr. Ayyadurai is currently the founder and CEO of Cytosol Inc. He believes that numbers of COVID-19 are being exaggerated to help with big pharmaceutical sales. According to Dr. Ayyadurai, “Now you project 100,000 dying because Fauci, fear-based Pharma Fauci who bases his entire existence on fake science needs big numbers.”
While the immune system does play a role in life of COVID-19, the relationship is not simple or predictable. According to Scientific American, the human immune system consists of two parts: The innate immune system and the adaptive immune system. The innate immune system mounts a general response to invaders like the coronavirus which happens within hours of infection. The adaptive immune system then launches a targeted reaction to a particular pathogen, which can take weeks or months to develop.
However, viruses in general, and COVID-19 in particular can cause damage even if the immune system is working well. Underlying conditions are thought to be an important factor influencing disease severity. According to the Centers for Disease Control, hospitalization rates were six times higher and death rates were 12 times higher among COVID-19 patients with underlying conditions, compared to patients without underlying conditions. Heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease put individuals at the most risk.
According to the American Heart Association, people with heart disease and hypertension generally suffer worse complications from COVID-19 than those without preexisting conditions. Healthy people, with strong immune systems, can also suffer heart damage from the viral infection. For example, the first reported COVID-19 death in the U.S. occurred when the virus somehow damaged a woman’s heart muscle, eventually causing it to burst Live Science reported. The 57-year-old maintained good health and exercised regularly before becoming infected.
Blood types may also matter to the COVID-19 virus, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. People with blood type A may be more likely than people with other blood types to experience severe COVID-19 symptoms and respiratory failure.
While our immune system can help us fight illness and maintain our overall health, viruses such as COVID-19 have been known to do harm in spite of a healthy immune system.
