Perhaps It's 'In the Genes' But It's Not a Level Playing Field?

Oxford scientists have found that a gene, LZTFL1, is carried by 60% of people with a South Asian heritage. The gene is, however only found in 15% of subjects with a white European and 2% of people with a black African or Caribbean background. The gene appears to slow the lung's defensive response to a viral infection, increasing the risk of respiratory failure and death (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/nov/04/gene-common-in-south-asian-people-doubles-risk-of-covid-death-study-finds). The findings suggest that genes played a role, particularily in the UK's 2nd wave of the Covid19 pandemic. In that wave, people with Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritages, were respectively twice and 3-4 times more likely to die from a Covid19 infection, than counterparts with a European background. The authors note, however, that their results need to be treated with caution. In the database used, 85% of the subjects were of European descent. Ethnicities were far from equally represented in the data. The result clearly needs to be confirmed in people with Covid19 infections. In the UK, people from a South Asian background are likely to be in occupations that increase their workplace exposure to infection. They are also more likely to live in multigenerational households. Covid19 infections were rampant in schools in the 2nd wave. Children, returning to multigenerational households, would be especially likely to pass the virus on to vulnerable older folk. A genetic explanation is consequently unlikely to be the whole story. It rarely is!