This summary is extracted from an article published on statnews.com:
Researchers examining DNA to understand the varying severity of Covid-19 in patients are realizing the importance of enrolling patients who have been hospitalized due to severe cases.
Consumer genetics company, 23andMe, acknowledges this need and is planning to involve hospitals in broadening their existing large-scale study initiated last month. The aim is to invite more individuals hospitalized due to Covid-19 to participate, potentially adding up to 10,000 new participants. This would allow them to explore their data to detect genetic variances that might explain why some patients become severely ill, requiring ventilators, while others display minor symptoms or none at all.
Previously, 23andMe’s study was only open to their existing client base who had agreed to take part in the company’s research. In the initial five weeks of the study, over 400,000 clients including more than 6,000 who tested positive for Covid-19 completed an online survey. This survey asked questions about their symptoms, family experiences and their professions, especially if they were in healthcare. This gathered data will be connected with the genetic information that 23andMe currently maintains.
For more details, read the full article.