Do genetic differences make some people more susceptible to COVID-19?

By Vikki Rand, Professor of Biosciences and Head of Research (National Horizons Centre), Teesside University
Maria O’Hanlon, PhD Candidate in Biology, Teesside University

Coronavirus affects people differently – some infected develop life-threatening disease, while others remain asymptomatic. And a year aftere COVID-19 emerged, it’s still unclear why.

To try and answer this question, researchers have started looking at the genetics of people who get COVID-19, and identifying links between developing the disease and variations in specific parts of our DNA. This raises the possibility that some of what makes people susceptible to COVID-19 lies in their genes.

This wouldn’t be surprising. Genetic variation plays a role in susceptibility to…

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