People whose immune systems responded strongly to a measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine may be less likely to become severely ill if they are infected with the new coronavirus, new data suggest.
The MMR II vaccine, manufactured by Merck and licensed in 1979, works by triggering the immune system to produce antibodies.
Researchers reported on Friday in mBio that among 50 COVID-19 patients under the age of 42 who had received the MMR II as children, the higher their titers — or levels — of so-called IgG antibodies produced by the vaccine and directed against the mumps virus in particular, the less severe their symptoms.
People with the highest mumps antibody titers had asymp…
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