Genes determine how badly people suffer from coronavirus, a pioneering study that could explain why ethnic minority patients are worse affected has found.

Research by King's College London also suggests that genetic make-up may influence a person's chances of catching the virus in the first place.

The findings come from data submitted to a symptom tracking app that has been downloaded by 2.7 million people since it was launched on March 24 and an existing study comprising 2,600 twins.

© Justin Setterfield/Getty Images Europe Data indicates that genes are around 50 per cent responsible for how badly infected people suffer from certain coronavirus symptoms - Justin Setterfield/Getty Images Europe

The data indicates that genes are around 50 per cent responsible for how badly infected people suffer from certain symptoms. In particular, it showed a strong genetic link to delirium, fever, fatigue, shortness of breath, diarrhoea and the loss of taste and smell.

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NHS England figures released last week confirmed that black, Asian and minority ethnic patients face a disproportionately high risk of death from Covid-19.

Of the patients in hospital who tested positive for coronavirus up to April 17, 16.2 per cent were of BAME background despite these communities making up only around 13 per cent of the total population.

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Those who identified as being of Indian heritage made up the single worst affected group, accounting for three per cent of Covid-19 hospital deaths, with those from the Caribbean the next largest group, at 2.9 per cent.

Professor Tim Spector, who led the King's College London research, said this could be either because some of these groups are more likely to suffer underlying health conditions such as diabetes, which increases the risk from the virus, or down to a more direct genetic predisposition.

"We've only started asking about race in the last few days," he said. "It's quite possible that genetic variants in, for example, Asian people could play a role in both the susceptibility to and severity of the disease. However, that won't be the whole answer."

© Xinhua News Agency LONDON, - . A couple walk hand in hand past a mural of a masked NHS ,National Health Service, worker painted on a wall in London, Britain, on April 26, 2020. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Britain hit 152,840 as of Sunday morning, marking a daily increase of 4,463, the Department of Health and Social Care said Sunday. As of Saturday afternoon, another 413 people who tested positive for the disease have died in hospitals, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in the country to 20,732, said the department. (Photo by Han Yan/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/Han Yan via Getty Images)

It is hoped the findings could provide scientists with an indication on how to go about developing treatments, as well as helping to identify high-risk groups.

Prof Spector suggested that people's diet, and in turn the health of their microbiome, linked to the immune system, could be influencing how susceptible they are to Covid-19. He said this could explain why poorer areas appeared to be more badly hit.

The Covid-19 Symptom Tracker app is helping inform scientists about the progression of the virus, although the number actually using it fell by almost 75 per cent earlier this month.

A medical worker sprays hand sanitiser on an essential worker at a drive-in testing facility the novel coronavirus COVID-19, in east London on April 25, 2020. - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is recovering after contracting the new coronavirus, is "in very good shape", Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Friday. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images)

However, an analysis of the data published on April 8 suggests that the coronavirus lockdown is working, with the number of people aged 20-69 reporting symptoms falling from 1.9 million then to 1.4 million across the UK.

"The peak in terms of symptoms was April 1, since then falling steadily at about seven per cent a day,” said Prof Spector. "It isn't just about the classic symptoms, fever and cough, which were the criteria for formal testing – it’s actually much wider.

"It's using all the data to give us a really good picture of what's going on around the country."

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Stay at home to stop coronavirus spreading - here is what you can and can't do. If you think you have the virus, don't go to the GP or hospital, stay indoors and get advice online. Only call NHS 111 if you cannot cope with your symptoms at home; your condition gets worse; or your symptoms do not get better after seven days. In parts of Wales where 111 isn't available, call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47. In Scotland, anyone with symptoms is advised to self-isolate for seven days. In Northern Ireland, call your GP.