It’s hard to predict who might succumb, but researchers are searching for genetic clues.
Some studies have found that versions of genes inherited from Neandertals may protect against COVID-19, while other genetic heirlooms passed down from Neandertals can up the risk of severe disease.
A massive international study examining DNA from more than 28,000 COVID-19 patients and almost 600,000 people who hadn’t been infected (to the best of their knowledge) confirmed that inheritance from Neandertals is involved in COVID-19 susceptibility.
The study also confirmed a previous finding that people with type O blood may have some protection against getting infected with the coronavirus.
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But the problem with all of these studies is that they can’t tell any individual what their chances are of a bad outcome from catching COVID-19. For instance, the DNA testing company 23andMe tells me that I have less than 2 percent Neandertal DNA. I don’t know whether that includes the variants that would make me more susceptible to severe disease or the ones that protect against infection. What if I got both? And how does that play with my blood type and all the other genetic variants I may carry?
