ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

COVID-19 vaccines can unlock enhanced immunity in former SARS patients: study

Share
Toronto -

Singaporean researchers have found that the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines can trigger an enhanced immunity in survivors of the original SARS virus, which could be the key to creating a vaccine that could work against all similar viruses.

The research team published the findings from their small-scale study on Wednesday in . They took antibody specimens from eight SARS survivors before and after they got vaccinated, then compared them to antibody specimens from 10 vaccinated COVID-19 survivors, 10 unvaccinated COVID-19 survivors and 10 vaccinated people who have not had either virus.

The researchers looked at how effective those antibodies were at neutralizing 10 different coronaviruses, including the SARS virus, four variants of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that cause COVID-19) and five viruses that have been identified in bats and pangolins but have not yet caused any disease outbreaks in humans.

The antibodies from vaccinated SARS survivors were the only ones to effectively neutralize all 10 viruses, the study found.

Antibodies from vaccinated people who didn't have the SARS virus also did well against most of the viruses but struggled against three of the pre-emergent viruses.

SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, is the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-1 virus. Between 2002 and 2004, the SARS outbreak led to over 8,000 reported cases and nearly 800 deaths around the world, including 251 cases and 44 deaths in Canada.

The SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 viruses share 80 per cent of their DNA. These viruses, as well as the others that were examined in the study, belong to the same subgroup of coronaviruses known as sarbecoviruses.

Such a vaccine would not only be able to provide immunity to future COVID-19 variants, but it could also stop new coronaviruses from jumping species and causing another pandemic.

"A 'dream' vaccine would cover not only SARS-CoV-2 and its known variants of concern but also future variants of concern and other coronaviruses with known potential to cause severe human diseases in the future," the authors wrote.​ 

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.

Stay Connected