People with allergic conditions including hay fever, asthmas and eczema have an up to 40% lower risk of COVID-19 infection, study finds

• A new study looked at more than 16,000 adults in the UK between May 2020 and February 2021
• People with atopic diseases - such as eczema - as well as hay fever or rhinitis had a 23% lower risk of Covid
• Asthma sufferers had a 38% lower risk of Covid infection even when using steroid inhalers
• Patients who were older, male or had other underlying conditions were not at an increased risk of infection