People with Blood Type A are More Vulnerable to the Coronavirus (Study)

Researchers find people with Blood Type A are more vulnerable to COVID-19.

A new study in China revealed people with blood type A are more susceptible to the coronavirus in comparison to other blood groups.

Researchers took blood group patterns of over 2,000 patients infected with COVID-19 in Wuhan and Shenzhen and compared it with people from other regions. The study concluded people with blood type A were more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection and higher chances to develop more severe symptoms.

“People of blood group A might need particularly strengthened personal protection to reduce the chance of infection,” the researchers wrote, adding, “Sars-CoV-2-infected patients with blood group A might need to receive more vigilant surveillance and aggressive treatment.”

Meanwhile, people with blood type O “had a significantly lower risk for the infectious disease compared with non-O blood groups.”

“It might be helpful to introduce ABO blood typing in both patients and medical personnel as a routine part of the management of Sars-CoV-2 and other coronavirus infections, to help define the management options and assess risk exposure levels of people,” the research paper stated.

South China Morning Post interviewed scientists regarding the study. While they were not directly related to the research, they said a larger sample size is required.

“If you are type A, there is no need to panic. It does not mean you will be infected 100 per cent. If you are type O, it does not mean you are absolutely safe, either. You still need to wash your hands and follow the guidelines issued by authorities,” Gao Yingdai, a researcher with the State Key Laboratory of Experimental Haematology in Tianjin, said.

In related Coronavirus news, President Donald Trump advised restricting group interactions and meetings to 10 people or less. The number of municipalities is also calling for people to engage in social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic is rising. On Tuesday, health officials have issued an important message for all Americans to limit social interactions to help healthcare systems prevent a rise of patients. As of Tuesday, 87 Americans have died with 4,490 infections, a rise of 1,000 confirmed infections from Sunday.