People With O Negative Blood Group Are at Lower Risk of COVID-19, Here’s Why

Is your blood type 'O', 'A', or 'AB'? If yes, this piece of writing is for you.

Is your blood type O negative? If yes, you are at a lower risk of contracting COVID-19 causing virus than others. Also, your probability to become severely ill from SARS-CoV-2 is lower in comparison to people with other blood types. This is what a recent study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine has stated.

For the research, the study team examined 225,556 people who tested their blood type from January 2007 to December 2019, and who later had a COVID-19 lab test. Further, the test results showed that out of all the tests that were examined, 1328 were diagnosed with severe COVID-19 illness or death, with higher probabilities among AB and B blood groups, as well as those who were Rh-positive.

This means people with ‘A’ and ‘AB’ blood groups need to be extra cautious during the current times and take as many precautions as they can take otherwise they will end up being hospitalized owing to severe illness due to COVID-19 infection.

On the other hand, the study results indicate that O and Rh-negative blood groups are associated with a slightly lower risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as severe Covid-19 illness or death. The research team now wonder whether similar differences in blood type will be seen within ongoing clinical trials studying the therapeutic efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 immunotherapy or vaccination.

According to scientists, considering the pleasant study results, a small proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infection or related illness in the entire population could be prevented by some undetermined property conferred by O blood type and, perhaps, further enhanced by Rh- status.

With Inputs From IANS