Study launched into risk factors for Covid-19

Researchers in Noord-Nederland are launching a large scale study into the possible risk factors for coronavirus Covid-19. The researchers hope that this study, done by bio-bank Lifelines, the University of Groningen, UMC Groningen, and the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health, will help predict the course of future infectious diseases, Dagblad van het Noorden reports.

For this study, over 135 thousand residents of Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe will be asked to complete a weekly questionnaire. Their answers will be linked to data from the bio-bank. The participants will be people who previously donated genetic material to Lifelines for other studies. They will be contacted by email. 

The researchers hope to identify whether hereditary- or environmental factors determine whether the coronavirus will make someone seriously ill, or only give them mild symptoms. The researchers will also investigate how the coronavirus affects people's mental health.

Almost as a byproduct of this study, the collected data will allow Lifelines to map out how the coronavirus spreads and develops in the three northern provinces over the coming months.