RELATED: The New Normal: What We Know About the Coronavirus So Far and How We Got Here The 23andMe study is still recruiting subjects, but already has 750,000 participants and is likely to come out with more data regarding genetic associations and COVID-19. The researchers found that people with type O blood are between 9 and 18 percent less likely to test positive for COVID-19 than other blood types. Researchers on another ongoing study, by genetic testing firm 23andMe, released preliminary data on June 8 suggesting that type O blood is protective against COVID-19. This gave the researchers more confidence in the associations, says study coauthor Andre Franke, PhD, professor of molecular medicine at the Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology at University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, Germany. This conclusion supports findings from early research done in China, which appeared March 27 in MedRxiv. The researchers found that type A blood was associated with a 50 percent increase in risk that a patient would become extremely ill with COVID-19 and need supplemental oxygen or a ventilator. One of these areas on the genome is related to blood types. Their analysis identified variations at two distinct areas on the genome (the complete set of human DNA, including all genes) that were associated with greater risk for severe reactions to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, including respiratory failure. The researchers scrutinized blood samples from 1,610 hospitalized patients in Italy and Spain with the disease, as well as a 2,205 healthy people in a control group. Preliminary results of this investigation (which have not yet been peer reviewed) were shared on June 2 on the preprint service MedRxiv. Recently, an ongoing study by European scientists has suggested one more potential factor to consider: blood type. Researchers have made progress in understanding some of the factors that make a difference, including obesity and underlying health conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
One of the goals of COVID-19 research is understanding why some people develop mild or moderate cases while others experience life-threatening illness.
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