Genetic variations may be what causes different people to suffer from different symptoms of the coronavirus, according to a new study by European scientists, The New York Times reported.
The study, which has not been peer-reviewed yet, is the first to find a strong statistical link between genetic variations and COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.
Variations at two spots in the human genome are associated with an increased risk of respiratory failure in COVID-19 patients, according to the study. Patients with Type A blood were linked to a 50% increase in the likelihood of needing to get oxygen or go on a ventilator, reported the Times.
Surprisingly, variations in ACE2, the protein to which the virus attaches itself on the surface of human cells, did not seem to make a difference in the severity of the virus.
“There are new kids on the block now,” said Andre Franke, a molecular geneticist at the University of Kiel in Germany and a co-author of the new study, according to the Times. – READ MORE
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