Covid Coronavirus Transmission

The most relevant genetic factor in coronavirus transmission is the gene coding for the cell surface protein angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which the coronavirus uses to enter airway cells. Variations in the ACE2 gene that alter the receptor could make it easier or harder for the virus to get into cells. The ACE2-expressing cells in lung tissues are more pronounced in East Asians than other populations, according to the new study published in Nature, which may suggest different susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 from different populations under the similar conditions. Fig. 1c shows Africans are more susceptible to Covid-19 than Caucasians but less susceptible to Covid-19 than East Asians. Allele frequencies of ACE2 could be much lower among Scandinavians and more research is needed.

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Fig. 1: The coding-region variants and eQTL variants for ACE2 in East Asian and other populations.

In summary, we systematically analyzed coding-region variants in ACE2 and the eQTL variants, which may affect the expression of ACE2 using the GTEx database to compare the genomic characteristics of ACE2 among different populations. Our findings indicated that no direct evidence was identified genetically supporting the existence of coronavirus S-protein binding-resistant ACE2 mutants in different populations (Fig. 1a). The data of variant distribution and AFs may contribute to the further investigations of ACE2, including its roles in acute lung injury and lung function12. The East Asian populations have much higher AFs in the eQTL variants associated with higher ACE2 expression in tissues (Fig. 1c), which may suggest different susceptibility or response to 2019-nCoV/SARS-CoV-2 from different populations under the similar conditions.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41421-020-0147-1
 
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Airborne transmission?

Study is from China, so...

See:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2271-3

Be cautious of bathrooms and get the air cleaned somehow.
The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has spread rapidly on a global scale. While the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via human respiratory droplets and direct contact is clear, the potential for aerosol transmission is poorly understood1–3. This study investigated the aerodynamic nature of SARS-CoV-2 by measuring viral RNA in aerosols in different areas of two Wuhan hospitals during the COVID-19 outbreak in February and March 2020. The concentration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in aerosols detected in isolation wards and ventilated patient rooms was very low, but it was elevated in the patients’ toilet areas. Levels of airborne SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the majority of public areas was undetectable except in two areas prone to crowding, possibly due to infected carriers in the crowd. We found that some medical staff areas initially had high concentrations of viral RNA with aerosol size distributions showing peaks in submicrometre and/or supermicrometre regions, but these levels were reduced to undetectable levels after implementation of rigorous sanitization procedures. Although we have not established the infectivity of the virus detected in these hospital areas, we propose that SARS-CoV-2 may have the potential to be transmitted via aerosols. Our results indicate that room ventilation, open space, sanitization of protective apparel, and proper use and disinfection of toilet areas can effectively limit the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in aerosols. Future work should explore the infectivity of aerosolized virus.
 
I am ambiguous about the topic of covid. I think it's not as easy as it might seem to us
 

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