This week, coronavirus cases in the Malaysia have skyrocketed, we are currently at 790 confirmed cases with 60 patients discharged from hospital and 2 reported death. Now, everyone is panic..
Recently, a new research claims that your blood type might influence your likelihood of catching the virus. Researchers from Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University have revealed that people with blood type A may be more vulnerable to the disease than those with blood type O.
In the study, the researchers analysed 2,173 coronavirus patients, including 206 people who had died after contracting the virus.
They found that while Type O (34%) blood is more common in the general population than Type A (32%). And out of the 206 patients who died in the study, 41% were found to be Type A, while just 25% were Type O.
In their study, published on medrxiv, the researchers wrote: “Blood group O was associated with a lower risk of death compared with non-O groups. To the contrary, blood group A was associated with a higher risk of death compared with non-A groups.”
Based on the findings, the researchers suggest that people with Type A good may need heightened 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.”
However, it’s important to note that the sample size in the study is fairly small – larger scale studies will be needed to verify the findings.
Speaking to South China Morning Post, Gao Yingdai, a researcher with the State Key Laboratory of Experimental Haematology in Tianjin, said: “[The study] may be helpful to medical professionals, but ordinary citizens should not take the statistics too seriously.
“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.”
Remember to practise social distancing, stay safe people!