That pesky head cold you caught last year? It could now be one of your bodys lines of defence in preventing a severe case of COVID-19 , according to new research .

Thats because seasonal common colds caused by coronaviruses may teach our bodies how to fight similar infections, including the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, according to a study from Boston University published last week.

Scientists found that patients who had experienced a cold caused by a coronavirus in the past five years and who later contracted COVID-19 had less severe COVID-19 symptoms, and were significantly less likely to be admitted to an intensive-care unit, require a ventilator, or die, than those who hadnt had that type of cold before.

These study results could help identify patients at lower and greater risk of developing complications after being infected with (the novel coronavirus), Prof. Joseph Mizgerd, one of the studys authors, said in a news release .