By Kashmira Gander On 3/18/20

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A person's blood type could affect how vulnerable they are to developing COVID-19—the disease caused by the new coronavirus—scientists believe.

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Of the 3,694 people in Wuhan without COVID-19, 32.16 percent were A type, 24.90 percent B, 9.10 percent AB, and 33.84 percent O.

However, in the 1,775 COVID-19 patients at Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, the spread was 37.75 percent for type A, 26.42 percent B, 10.03 percent for AB and 25.80 percent O.

In Shenzhen, 28.77 percent of healthy participants were A; 25.14 percent B, 7.32 percent AB, and 38.77 percent O.

285 Shenzhen patients with the disease, 28.77 percent were A, 29.12 percent B, 13.68 percent AB, and 28.42 percent O.

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A further 113 and 285 COVID-19 patients were monitored in Wuhan and Shenzhen, respectively. "Similar... distribution pattern was observed in 398 patients from another two hospitals in Wuhan and Shenzhen," the team said.

Taking the data as a whole, the researchers concluded that "blood group A had a significantly higher risk for COVID-19" when compared with non-A blood groups. Those in the O group, meanwhile, "had a significantly lower risk for the infectious disease."