The role of genes in our covid vulnerability could be of help

Better vaccines can spring from research on variations in illness

- LISA JARVIS

Even as covid has faded into the background for most, our curiosity of the virus’s idiosyncrasies hasn’t waned. Why does one member of a household suffer a hacking cough but another not even a sniffle? Why does long covid afflict only some? A cluster of studies suggests some of the answers lie in our genes. Learnings like this could help develop better vaccines.

Mild cases or asymptomatic infections have been relatively unstudied. Scientists’ focus on the sickest wasn’t just because of the urgency to save lives, but because it’s simply easier to study people in settings like hospitals. Collecting DNA, sequencing it and tracking the healthy is a tall order.