If you don’t have this in your blood, you are at risk for severe COVID

It’s not just pre-existing conditions that can skyrocket your risk of developing severe COVID. A factor detectable only in your blood may be the key to determining how debilitating your COVID symptoms are, according to a new study. Read on to find out what could put you at serious risk for COVID. And if you can’t wait for the pandemic to be behind us, COVID will be “almost gone” by that date, says Dr Johns Hopkins.

According to a January 2021 study published in the journal Genetics in Medicine, people without a specific type of natural killer cell (NK) receptor in their blood are more likely to develop severe cases of COVID than those who do. When the specific NKG2C receptor identified by researchers – which typically binds to HLA-E antigen in the bloodstream to destroy cells that have been infected with viruses – is absent, a person’s risk of developing COVID severe increases dramatically.

The study found that about four percent of the population do not fully have the NKG2C receptor, while 30 percent have an NKG2C receptor which is not fully available and, as such, may provide protection. inadequate in the fight against COVID.

“The absence of a receptor was particularly common in COVID-19 patients treated in intensive care units, regardless of age or sex,” Elisabeth Puchhammer-Stöckl, MD, lead author of the study, said in a statement. “Genetic variations on the HLA-E of the infected cell were also associated with the severity of the disease, although to a lesser extent.”

However, this is not the only thing that can increase or decrease your likelihood of having a severe case of COVID; read on to find out what other factors could put you at risk. And for more information on your risks, see If you’ve done it recently, you’re 70% more likely to have COVID.

Read the original article on Better life.