Gene that can slash Covid severity by 20 per cent discovered

Gene that can slash Covid severity by 20 per cent explains why symptoms hit some victims harder than others, scientists say

  • A gene that reduces the severity of Covid infections has now been discovered 
  • It tells the body to make a protein that is effective at breaking down SARS-CoV-2 
  • A study found it was present in eight out of ten individuals of African heritage 

A gene that reduces the severity of Covid infections by 20 per cent has been discovered by researchers.

The scientists said their discovery will help to create drugs that are effective against the virus.

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 (pictured in a file image)

The scientists said their discovery will help to create drugs that are effective against the virus (file photo used)

The gene tells the body to make a protein that is effective at breaking down SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid.

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 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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