... and some have anti-Covid gene that reduces the virus’s severity by 20%

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. 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.