Abstract Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease-19 research has been continued to explore multiple facets of the disease. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the relationship between blood group phenotypes and COVID-19 susceptibility. In this hospital based, retrospective observational study 132 COVID-19 patients were enrolled from SMS Medical College and attached Hospitals, Jaipur, India after the proper approval from the institutional ethics committee. The ABO, Rh and Kell blood group phenotypes and demographic data of the patients were recorded. The observed proportions of ‘A’ , ‘B’, ‘AB’, ‘O’, ‘Rh’, and ‘Kell’ blood groups phenotypes in COVID-19 patients were compared against the expected proportions (our null hypothesis) of the general population using multinomial tests and partition analysis. There were significant differences between observed and expected frequency in ABO and Kell blood group phenotypes. Further partition analysis of ABO blood phenotypes showed that the group ‘A’ phenotypes were more susceptible for COVID-19. The Kell negatives were also more susceptible. The blood groups ‘AB’, ‘B’, ‘O’, and ‘Rh’ phenotypes showed no significantly different susceptibility for COVID-19. The study shows relationship between ABO, Rh, and Kell blood group phenotypes and COVID-19 susceptibility. The application of these relationship in clinical practice requires more exploratory studies. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Screening Tool, Epidemiology, Patient Management, Medical Research.

Background: Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) research has been continued to explore multiple facets of the disease. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between blood group phenotypes and COVID-19 susceptibility. Methods: In this retrospective observational study 132 hospitalised COVID-19 patients were enrolled from the Swai Man Singh (SMS) Medical Hospital in Jaipur, India after receiving approval from the Institutional ethics committee. The ABO, Rh and Kell blood group phenotypes along with demographic data of the patients were recorded. The observed proportions of 'A', 'B', 'AB', 'O', 'Rh' and 'Kell' blood groups in COVID-19 patients were compared against the expected proportions (the null hypothesis) of the general population using Pearson's Chi-squared test and partition analysis. Results: There were significant differences between observed and expected frequency for the ABO and Kell blood phenotypes. Further partition analysis of ABO phenotypes showed that the group 'A' phenotypes were more susceptible to COVID-19. The Kell negatives were also more susceptible. The blood groups 'AB', 'B', 'O' and 'Rh' showed no significant difference for susceptibility to COVID-19. Conclusion: The study shows a relationship between ABO, Rh and Kell blood groups and COVID-19 susceptibility. The application of these relationships in clinics should be explored in future studies.

Background: Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease-19 research has been continued to explore multiple facets of the disease. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the relationship between blood group phenotypes and COVID-19 susceptibility.Methods: In this hospital based, retrospective observational study 132 COVID-19 patients were enrolled from SMS Medical Hospital in Jaipur, India after receiving approval from the institutional ethics committee. The ABO, Rh and Kell blood group phenotypes along with demographic data of the patients were recorded. The observed proportions of ‘A’ , ‘B’, ‘AB’, ‘O’, ‘Rh’, and ‘Kell’ blood groups in COVID-19 patients were compared against the expected proportions (the null hypothesis) of the general population using Pearson’s chi-squared test and partition analysis.Results: There were significant differences between observed and expected frequency for the ABO and Kell blood phenotypes. Further partition analysis of ABO phenotypes showed that the group ‘A’ phenotypes were more susceptible to COVID-19. The Kell negatives were also more susceptible. The blood groups ‘AB’, ‘B’, ‘O’, and ‘Rh’ showed no significant difference for susceptibility to COVID-19.Conclusion: The study shows a relationship between ABO, Rh, and Kell blood groups and COVID-19 susceptibility. The application of these relationships in clinics should be explored in future studies.