The ​​National Institutes of Health under a collaborative agreement with the Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center at the University of Arizona Health Sciences has granted 7.16 million dollars to study as to why asthma sufferers are less likely to contract  Covid infection. Previous research had shown that the proteins governing asthma-induced inflammation reduce ACE-2 expression, through which the coronavirus infects cells. The researchers said that the three key objectives of the research include  the study of rhinovirus C inhibiting pulmonary surfactant, receptor interacting protein that initiates immune responses and more research into surfactant protein A and cytokines.