Authors: Randall E. Harris, Alexander S. Rosemurgy
Rates of cases and deaths of COVID-19 from infection by SARS-CoV-2 show a sharp divergence in countries of Southeastern Asia where the pandemic first emerged compared to North America and Europe. The average rate of cases (83.7 per million) and the average death rate (2.24 per million) in these Asian countries through May 4, 2020, are approximately 1/34th and 1/118th, respectively, of the corresponding values reported by countries in North America and Europe (2,878 per million and 265 per million, respectively). In contrast, malaria rates show an inverse pattern: rates are negligible in North America and Europe and high in southeast Asia. Malaria induces interferons and neutralizing antibodies with proven impact against infection by certain viruses including the coronaviruses responsible for SARS, MERS and COVID-19. These data support the hypothesis that there may be natural immunity against COVID-19 in populations that have a longstanding history of widespread exposure to malarial infections, and such populations may prove to be a resource for development of effective vaccines and serological agents for the prevention and therapy of COVID-19.
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