Coronavirus: Blood type increases how likely you are to catch COVID-19, says report

A person’s blood type can dictate how likely they are to catch the coronavirus, according to research from biotech testing company 23andMe.

Using results from over 750,000 participants in a study, 23andMe found that people with O blood type appears to better protect against the coronavirus, compared to other blood types, and are between 9 and 18 percent less likely to test positive for COVID-19.

B and AB blood types are the most susceptible, according to 23andMe, with A blood type in between.

“Among respondents to the 23andMe COVID-19 survey, the percent of respondents reporting a positive test for COVID-19 is lowest for people who are O blood type. The percent of respondents reporting a positive test for COVID-19 was highest among those with the AB blood type,” 23andMe said in a post online.

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The results from the study were controlled for age, gender, body mass index (BMI) and ethnicity among other factors.

Those with the O blood type were shown to be both less likely to acquire COVID-19, but also seem to have a lower level of hospitalization due to the virus.

“In the whole population, those with the O blood group were 9-18 percent less likely to test positive compared to the other groups. When looking at only exposed individuals, those with O blood group were 13-26 percent less likely to test positive,” the post read.

The study also found that there was no significant difference in infection rates when comparing a whether a person’s blood type was rhesus positive or negative (+ or -).

“In 23andMe’s data we found that differences by self-reported rhesus factor (blood type + or -) were not significant, nor was the interaction between blood group and rhesus factor in statistical models predicting being a case, or being a hospitalized case,” 23andMe said.

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