A gene that reduces the severity of Covid-19 infections by 20 per cent has been discovered by researchers.
According to Mailonline, the scientists said their discovery would help to create drugs that are effective against the virus
They pointed out that it also explains why the disease’s symptoms are so variable, hitting some harder than others
The gene tells the body to make a protein that is effective at breaking down SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
It is found in one in three people of white European ancestry, according to researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.
In those of African heritage, it was present in eight out of ten individuals, found the study in Nature Genetics.
The gene determines the length of the protein OAS-1 and when it is longer, it is better at breaking down SARS-CoV-2.
Co-author of the research, Brent Richards, of McGill University said: “That we are beginning to understand the genetic risk factors in detail is key to developing new drugs against COVID-19.”
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