COVER STORY

COVID-19 LATE BREAKERS

Why type blood matters,

reinfections, and
ELVIRA MANZANO
social media bans
H
aving type O blood purportedly
gives people an “immunity pass” Mike Bogetofte from the Department of 

G
(%
 
K

against COVID-19. This concept,
coupled with reports of reinfections and
social media bans on malicious COVID-19
claims, formed impressions and sparked
)*
Clinical Immunology, Odense University to most people unless they need to go
Hospital, Odense, Denmark. through a blood transfusion.
(
+5



<L

5


&
55
&

discussions around this talking point positive for COVID-19, only 38.41 per- about the link between blood type and
within the medical community. cent had type O blood. By contrast, 44.4 COVID-19,” said Dr Torben Barington,


+5 

&

6 
senior author of the study and clinical



 
- tested positive. professor at Odense University Hospital
tive analysis in Denmark, people with and the University of Southern Denmark.
type O blood had less chances of con- <= 
5
>

 ? &
- “We do not know yet whether this is




sociated with reduced susceptibility to some kind of protection for group O, or
those with other blood types. [Blood 
)@

= 
whether it’s some kind of vulnerability in
Adv 2020;doi:10.1182/bloodadvanc- <A &)
=>
6 
5

the other blood groups.”
 not a risk factor for hospitalization or
death from COVID-19.” <G

?
)


Of the 841,327 individuals tested for 


?
5


((

COVID-19 between February 27 and While several theories have cropped is, perhaps we’re able to use that pro-
July 30, 2020, those with type O blood up, the researchers are clueless as to actively in some way in regard to treat-

!"#$


% &


- what exact mechanism could explain ment,” he added. Clearly, more studies
itive for COVID-19 compared with other the link between blood groups and are warranted.
groups. Even individuals who were ex- COVID-19.
posed to the virus, but with type O blood, Infected twice: Is there a

#'"


% &

- Not a type O? Don’t worry! cause for alarm?
tract COVID-19, said lead investigator Dr
The four main blood types or groups Meanwhile, a case of reinfection in

)
=)
=)

>)
(
6&
Nevada, US has spurred concerns anew
the genes an individual inherited from that patients who have recovered from
the infection may still be vulnerable.

8
DOCTOR | NOVEMBER ISSUE
 COVER STORY

Most reinfections have been milder Other cases of COVID-19 reinfection Moreover, reinfection by a distinct


?)
5 


((5
were reported in Hong Kong, Belgium, the viral variant from the original virus does
&(

? 
K

+5

- P )
A)

|5


- not imply immune escape.
ognized the second time. However, in ond case in a 60-year-old patient in Wash-

P+

"

& 
( )
ington, US was also reported recently. YouTube cracks down on



%
((5

"
malicious COVID-19 claims

+



}
%%
A%)

((56 -
was symptomatically more severe than ogist at Yale University, New Haven, Vaccines remain at the heart of the

?)
Q5
R& 
5

5)
)


5€ 

? 
+
>A}#!
‚+)
(-
hospitalization. the study, said it is not surprising to see mation and conspiracy theories about

5


experimental COVID-19 vaccines have
The patient had two positive tests for and the more severe disease associated  


(
 
"

)

?


#$)
)
with reinfection. “It could a be a one-in-a- being shared, retweeted, and debated
and the second on June 5, 2020, separat- million event, we don’t know. We’re just  &
"


 †
?-

6&

 +
GLY

5
becoming aware of the reinfection cases, dence in the vaccine research.
 5
Z(
 &

 and they are just a handful among mil-
CoV-2 demonstrated that the genome lions of people infected with the virus.” To push authoritative information
Q5

 
(

?
- about COVID-19 vaccines, YouTube has





K
 - <


5


announced that it would remove or ban
? &
\Lancet 2020;doi:org/10.1016/ cannot rely on immunity acquired by nat- content with false or malicious claims
#*''!!^_'* ural infection to confer herd immunity. about COVID-19 vaccines, days after
Not only is this strategy lethal for many … Facebook took a similar action on its
There are more questions than an- 


K+
‚
((5&
Q5
own platform.
swers: Does the virus become inactive 

K+
+

65



?
)
65
+
vaccination implementation.” Such claims include older narratives
 `
>
5 

6


?
- that the vaccine can cause infertility in
fection primed the immune system the One vaccine for all? young women or death and that micro-
wrong way? chips are implanted in individuals who
 5 
K


+
- received the vaccine to control their be-
Exposure does not suggest nome sequence of various isolates pre- haviour. These rumours are untrue.
full immunity dict if an individual is reinfected (ruling out
reactivation of lingering viral infection), it Claims like these not only contradict
<G
? 
5 


- does not indicate that the second infec- consensus from health authorities or the



6&



tion was due to immune evasion, wrote WHO, they also provoke public concerns
separate occasions by a genetically dis- Iwasaki in a separate commentary. that the real risks of vaccines outweigh
tinct virus,” the researchers said. “Thus, 
6?
+5
R5


( 

+5
R5

  
(  “There
There is currently no evidence that a
**RT-PCR:
RT-PCR: Reverse transcription polymerase chain
not guarantee total immunity in all cases. 
+

( 


reaction


5
"

+5 &
 
result of immune evasion. For now, one


"
5 
%
( 
5
+

6
5€


-
to avoid a reinfection.” tion against all circulating variants.” [Proc
Natl Acad Sci USA 2020;117:23652-
'

9
DOCTOR | NOVEMBER ISSUE