After illustrating that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) had caused higher rates of morbidity and mortality in Europe than in East Asia, Yasuo Ariumi (Kumamoto University, Japan) showed that the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was genetically linked to an insertion of Alu, a member of the short interspersed elements (SINEs), in the angiotensin converting enzyme 1 (ACE1) gene. This evidence concerns the gene ACE and COVID-19.