Healthy Living: Researchers Study Link Between Blood Type, COVID-19

08-28-20-HL Blood Types and Covid 19... (Whitney Amann)

Research on the novel coronavirus has already determined that men, people of color, and those with underlying medical conditions are at greater risk of having severe COVID-19 cases.

But can your blood type also be a factor? Some scientists are looking into it.

In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists performed a genetic analysis on people who currently had COVID-19 and those who did not. They found that people with type A blood had a 50% greater risk of needing oxygen support or a ventilator if they were to contract COVID-19. While people with type O blood had a 50% reduced risk of having severe COVID-19.

Some explanation as to why type O blood has a reduced risk of severe COVID-19 might be people with type O are better able to recognize certain proteins as foreign, and then fight them off better, including proteins on virus surfaces.

Healthy Living: Researchers Study Link Between Blood Type, COVID-19 Healthy Living: Researchers Study Link Between Blood Type, COVID-19 (Whitney Amann)