Severe Covid shares genetic links with several medical conditions including COPD and diabetes, suggests a recent study conducted by Dr. Katherine Liao,  an associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues. The results of the study, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, also indicated that there were genetic links between severe COVID-19 and neutropenia, or an abnormally low concentration of neutrophils, especially for people of African and Hispanic ancestry. Dr Liao emphasised the importance of their findings by pointing out that identifying these shared variants could improve understanding of COVID-19 and illuminate potential new paths for treatment.