⁍ Previously unrecognized changes in newly produced immune cells, called monocytes, released into the blood from bone marrow.

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⁍ In COVID-19 patients with more severe disease, the monocytes do not function properly.

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⁍ Data compiled from more than 4,600 assisted living facilities in seven U.S. states through the end of May showed a four-fold higher COVID-19 fatality rate than in the nearby communities.

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– The deadly new coronavirus has infected hundreds of people around the world, but it’s rare for them to die. That could be because their immune systems aren’t strong enough to fight off the disease, reports the New York Times. Now researchers say they’ve figured out a way to help those who survive the illness, known as COVID-19, by injecting them with something called a cytotoxic T-cell therapy. These T-cells are able to fight off the virus, but steroids—which have been increasingly used to treat COVID-19 patients—can wreak havoc on the immune system. In a study published Monday in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society, researchers say they’ve figured out a way to take donor T-cells that target the virus and make them resistant to steroids. “We are currently working on … developing clinical trials to determine safety and efficacy,” says co-author Helena Temkin-Greener of the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, per Reuters. “Assisted living communities and their residents urgently need local, state, and the federal governments to pay at least the same level of attention as that given to nursing homes,” she adds. Researchers say they’re also working on a vaccine.