APOE and COVID-19: Nonetheless, the results of the present study revealed a protective effect of the minor T allele of the SNP rs7412 which is found only in the minor ɛ2 allele of APOE. Consequently, these results are complementary to those observed in other studies, where the ɛ4 allele increases the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity of COVID-19 the symptoms27–30.