system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: If symptoms of being sick (mucous, sore throat, fatigue) are immune system responses, what does the cold virus actually do?
gpt
While your immune system is fighting them, pretty much nothing. However, if they were allowed to keep reproducing without a fight, then they would just keep killing off cells at faster and faster rates, eventually preventing vital functions from working and killing you.