Genetic variation associated with COVID-19 outcome The severity of outcome from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is widely varied, with most individuals remaining asymptomatic while others experience severe life-threatening pneumonia and multi-organ failure. Host genetics play a role in disease progression and prognosis. A paper recently uploaded to the preprint server et al. (1 st March 2021) identifies several alleles associated with the gene natriuretic peptide receptor C (NPR3) that may impact disease severity. How was the study performed? The group worked with 4,488 high-risk COVID-19 outpatients being over 40 years of age and having at least one other comorbidity such as diabetes or obesity. The group was split into two equal sizes, one of which received a placebo, while the other received 0.5 mg colchicine, an anti-inflammatory, daily for a month. The patients were evaluated for disease symptoms 15 and 30 days into the trial.