Gene common in South Asians may double risk of COVID-19 death: Study

London: Scientists at the University of Oxford have identified a gene that may double the risks of lung failure and death from COVID-19, and could explain why people of South Asian ancestry have a higher risk of severe disease. The LZTFL1 gene changes the way the lungs respond to viral infection and is the most important genetic risk factor identified so far, the researchers said. They noted that the gene version is carried by nearly 60 per cent of people with South Asian background, compared with 15 per cent of those with European lineage. The finding, published in the journal…