(Photo : Pikrepo)

Scientists have suggested that individuals with blood type A could be much more susceptible than others to COVID-19.

While Type O individuals appear to be more immune, Blood Type A individuals could be much more susceptible to the new coronavirus outbreak, as per a preliminary analysis of patients who contracted the well-known COVID-19 infection in China.

The researchers, led by Wang Xinghuan, with the Centre for Evidence-Based and Translational Medicine, at Zhongnan Hospital Wuhan University, went on to write: "People of blood group A might need particularly strengthened personal protection to reduce the chance of infection."

Chinese medical scientists have evaluated more than 2,000 Wuhan and Shenzhen virus-infected patients in their blood types together with the local healthy communities. In their evaluation, researchers have observed a greater risk of infection in patients with the blood type A and appeared to experience more serious symptoms.

Although the scientists have suggested that the analysis was still tentative and that further work was required, authorities and health care facilities were advised to consider variations in blood type in their preparation for the prevention of as well as care of COVID-19 patients.

Scientists and medical professionals throughout cities in the whole of China such as Beijing, Wuhan, Shanghai and Shenzhen administered the research. The researchers warned that somehow the study might lead to risks influencing existing medical practices and that it has not been peer reviewed.

Out of the 206 patients who were killed in Wuhan with the COVID-19 infection, 85 got the blood type A that was 63% greater than the 52 patients with the blood type O. The trend was prevalent in various age groups and gender groups.

Professor Robin C May of the University of Birmingham's School of Biosciences, who has not been included at the research, commented that the results did not clarify the mechanisms for determining whether an individual having type A blood is more vulnerable to the infection of the COVID-19.

Professor May explains that, in contrast to the percentage of the absolute risk of hand hygiene, there will almost certainly not be any problem with the results of the study for people with A type of blood, because the percentage of risks associated with the blood group is very slim.

Gao Yingdai, another scientist who has not been included with the research, from the State Main Laboratory of Experimental Hematology in Tianjin,  has said that it could be strengthened with a greater sample size. Although 2,000 were not really low, this was diminished by a total of more than 180,000 coronavirus patients worldwide.

The limitation of the research was that the phenomena such as with the molecular association between the infection and various types of red blood cells could not include any detailed explanation, says Gao.

Researchers are also still uncertain how various blood types have developed, although it is one hypothesis that they are a hereditary memory of plagues. Some suggest that external factors including altitude, temperature or humidity may also have contributed to boost some populations of blood types.