Coronavirus: People with this blood type found to be more vulnerable

The study, for which 206 patients who had died from the disease were studied, was published on Medrxiv.org

After analysing blood patterns of more than 2000 coronavirus infected patients in China, researchers there have found that people with blood type A are more vulnerable.

According to researchers, those with type A blood showed higher rate of infection and developed more severe symptoms, as reported by express.co.uk. Patients with type O blood, on the other hand, experienced mild symptoms from the disease, also called “Sars-CoV-2”.

“People of blood group A might need particularly strengthened personal protection to reduce the chance of infection. Sars-CoV-2-infected patients with blood group A might need to receive more vigilant surveillance and aggressive treatment,” said Wang Xinghuan, Centre for Evidence-Based and Translational Medicine at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University.

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The study was published on Medrxiv.org. Of the 206 patients studied who had died from the disease, 85 of them had type A blood while 52 had O type blood.

Gao Yingdai, a researcher with the State Key Laboratory of Experimental Haematology in Tianjin, however, was quoted as saying that this does not call for panic. “If you are type A, there is no need to panic. It does not mean you will be infected 100 percent. 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,” she argued.

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In India, 147 cases of coronavirus have been officially reported by the Health Ministry while the global toll has crossed 7,500. Experts are recommending social distancing and self-quarantine as precautionary measures to ensure safety. Doctors have advised frequent handwashing with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitiser to reduce the risk of infection. One should skip going to crowded places including public gyms and theatres to avoid coming in contact with a person who might be infected. Besides, make sure you disinfect objects like mobile phones and screens before touching them. Not to mention how you should also maintain the coughing and sneezing etiquette to avoid further transmission in case infected.

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