COLUMBUS, Ohio — Blood type and risk of COVID-19. It's something that's been studied -- and you'll find a ton of conflicting information out there.
This is a perfect example of why we verify your questions. Our goal is to provide answers that can't be found in a Google search. When you search this question -- so many different answers pop up from several different studies.
So one of our COVID-19 experts is helping us navigate this one.
THE QUESTION:
Donna Shaw asks: “Is it true that people with Type O blood are immune to COVID-19?”
THE ANSWER:
False. Your blood type does not affect your risk for COVID-19 infection.
The sources:
- Dr. Joe Gastaldo, OhioHealth’s medical director of infectious diseases
- Research published April 5, 2021 in JAMA Network Open
Here's what we found:
In response to contrasting reports about blood type and risk of COVID-19 infection from China, Europe, Boston and New York -- researchers launched a new study -- reviewing more than 100,000 patients across Utah, Idaho, and Nevada and found no link at all between blood type and COVID risk. The findings were published April 5.
“Regardless of your blood type you can get infected with this virus,” said Dr. Gastaldo.
So we can verify, the answer to Donna's question is false: your blood type does not affect your risk for COVID-19 infection.
"Regardless of your blood type, you should get vaccinated,” said Dr. Gastaldo. “We're all going to come in contact with this virus at some time."
When different studies are done with different outcomes, it's up to the National Institutes of Health and the Infectious Diseases Society of America to provide clarity on guidance.
“Those practice guidelines actually look at the collection of publications that come out to give guidance when there are conflicting messages that come out with specific studies,” he said.
Have something you’d like us to verify? Send us an email to verify@10TV.com.