23andMe Is Trying to Crack the Genetic Code Behind the Coronavirus

The coronavirus has swept across the globe in recent months, and companies in all sectors of the healthcare industry have stepped up to combat the pandemic. Many are now scrambling to develop a vaccine.

One of the greatest challenges facing healthcare workers on the front lines, as well as the companies working on vaccine candidates, is that COVID-19 varies so much among patients. According to a report published by the World Health Organization back in March, approximately 80 percent of those infected exhibit mild symptoms or none at all. A study published in the journal Nature Medicine found that 44% of individuals who caught COVID-19 through secondary transmission contracted the illness while the original infector was still asymptomatic.

The most recent data released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that 60.5 per 100,000 patients require hospitalization, and death certificates show that the flu, COVID-19, or pneumonia were behind 12.8% of all U.S. deaths from May 4 through May 10. Over 300,000 people worldwide have died of COVID-19.