Several large-scale genomic studies are gearing up to pin down the genes underlying individual responses to COVID-19. Genomics England is partnering with Illumina and the UK National Health Service (NHS) to sequence the genomes of 35,000 patients: 15,000 with mild symptoms and 20,000 who required intensive care. A separate group, UK BioBank, is assembling research materials from data on patients with COVID-19 collected by Public Health England, which they will share with 15,000 approved researchers from 85 countries. Finally, nearly 1,000 human geneticists formed the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative, organized by the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland.

Private companies are also contributing. Consumer genomics companies 23andme and Ancestry.com are setting up programs to link COVID-19 symptoms and experiences with genomic information contained in their databases. In the first few weeks 23andme identified 6,000 people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and in May stepped up its efforts to assemble thousands more by offering free genome analysis to non-members who qualify and are willing to join a COVID-19 research program. Ancestry.com has asked its customer base to fill out a survey on their COVID-19 experiences, the results of which they will share with qualified researchers at no cost.

In the largest study of any kind on COVID-19, a team led by Ben Goldacre at the University of Oxford reported in the preprint server medRxiv that Asians and members of minority groups in the UK face an increased risk of death by COVID-19. Analyzing health records of over 17 million patients from the NHS, the researchers found that comorbidities (such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma and obesity), largely assumed to be behind the increased risk, accounted for only about half the disparity in deaths between minority and white populations. A smaller study by the Oxford Royal College of General Practitioners looking at risk factors for testing positive for COVID-19 was published in mid-May.