Variation in Covid-19 Infection Parameters Endorse the Call for Greater Efforts in Personalised Medicine

Abstract

New data on several COVID-19 infection parameters are slowly beginning to emerge which include the relative frequencies of symptomatic versus asymptomatic individuals positive for COVID-19, individual variation in response to re-purposed drug treatments, prognostic factors for developing severe COVID-19 and genetic risk factors for COVID-19 susceptibility and severity. From a larger perspective, it is our view that these parameters endorse the call for greater efforts in personalised medicine, especially when specific pharmacological interventions (i.e. vaccines or drugs to COVID-19 and other zoonotic diseases) are yet to be developed. Here, the aim of personalised medicine would be to rapidly identify vulnerable individuals and subsequently to design better treatment regimens for them, should COVID-19 or other pandemics appear in future. Application of genomic technology also will continue to be of importance to gain knowledge about the biology of the virus and will facilitate vaccine development and predict markers of resistance and/or susceptibility.