Scientists, pointing to an HIV-like trait, say the coronavirus effectively attacks and destroys the very immune cells that are supposed to protect the body, the South China Morning Post reported.
The study was conducted by medical researchers from China and the U.S., revealing evidence the COVID-19 disease attacks the immune system's T lymphocytes, known as T cells, much like HIV.
"More and more people compare it to HIV," an unnamed doctor told SCMP.
The scientists found COVID-19's attacking the T cells was unlike the past SARS coronavirus, completely destroying the immune system in fatal cases, per the report. Also, in some patients, the virus that has overtaken the T cells turns the immune system on healthy cells in the body, too, in what is called "cytokine storms," per SCMP.
The study also suggests this COVID-19 infection might have gone unreported around the world for a long time.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.