Genetics make person more susceptible to contracting covid-19, study says

A new study by the Cleveland Clinic medical and academic center in the United States points out that genetic factors can influence people's susceptibility to the new coronavirus. That is, depending on the genetics of the individual in question, he may be more likely to contract covid-19 than someone else.
Published on Wednesday (15), in the medical journal BMC Medicine, the results of the study conducted by researcher Feixiong Cheng, the Institute of Genomic Medicine, can assist health authorities in the search for more effective treatments to fight and prevent infection of the virus in different types of people according to their genetic traits.
The research analyzed a series of sequential VARIATIONS of DNA by examining polymorphics in the ACE2 and TMPRSS2 genes, which produce the enzymes needed for coronavirus to infect human cells. In the more than 81,000 human genomes evaluated, 131 multiple potentially deleterious polymorphics were found in the genes, which indicates a greater susceptibility to virus contraction in these cases.
In simpler terms, according to the research, although most confirmed cases of covid-19 present mild symptoms, such as dry cough and tiredness, some individuals have more severe symptoms. Whether in older people or young people, with pre-existing problems or not. The study concludes, then, that this is due to genetic factors.
The problem is that there is still no exact definition about what are these genetic factors that influence susceptibility to the disease. For this to be done, the study states that more research is needed around the human genome, done with genetic data from patients who have already contracted the disease.
"The more we know about the genetic factors that influence susceptibility to covid-19, the better we will be able to determine the clinical efficacy of possible treatments," Cheng said.