Abstract
Abstract: Background: Susceptibility to some infectious diseases has been associated with blood group phenotypes. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 ) is a new infectious disease caused by novel corona virus designated Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which has spread rapidly around the world. The objective of this study was to determine if susceptibility or severity to Covid-19 was associated with ABO blood group distribution among the countries affected. Methods: This retrospective study of COVID-19 disease was based on data from 105 countries collected on 13 April 2020 and analysed by SPSS software version 16.0. Spearman correlation coefficient and Kruskal Wallis test were used to assess for associations of ABO blood group with COVID-19. Results: The results indicated that individuals of blood group A are at increased risk of infection by SARS-CoV-2 virus and severity of COVID-19 disease. Blood groups B and O were less likely to be infected and disease less severe. Conclusion: The results are discussed in relation to host-parasite interactions that might contribute to susceptibility to these infections. Keywords; ABO blood group, COVID-19 disease, and SARS-CoV-2 virus