This Blood Type Might Be More Resistant to COVID-19

Results from a recent study are suggesting that a person's blood type might be less susceptible to the COVID-19 coronavirus.  23andMe recently released results of a survey that show that people who have suffered symptoms of COVID-19, are somewhat less likely to have Type O blood.

"The preliminary data suggest that O blood type appears to be protective against the virus when compared to all other blood types," according to the report. "Individuals with O blood type are between 9-18% percent less likely than individuals with other blood types to have tested positive for COVID-19," according to the data.

Other blood types seemed to have similar infections, according to the report. The findings are consistent when it comes to "age, sex, body mass index, ethnicity, and co-morbidities," the report said.

"The area on the human genome that's code for blood type, also code for other sugar protein and it's the sugar proteins that actually cause the, or allow the SARS COVI-2 virus to attach to the cells...there may be a linkage to those things and it may allow certain people with blood types" to bond more or less to a person's blood, according to Dr. Kent Hall of the Mohawk Valley Health System in Utica. At this point, "this is all theory," according to Hall.

Dr. Hall said the data first came from the DNA tracking website 23andMe, and also included studies from Italy and China. "They haven't published any scientifically reviewed data as of yet," Dr. Hall added.

Watch the complete interview below with Dr. Hall.