Scientists from the University of Barcelona (Spain) and the University of Campinas (Brazil) studied the circumstances that caused the rapid spread of COVID-19 in 126 countries. The researchers concluded that an exponential increase in the number of infections is characteristic of countries in which there are large numbers of people with a negative Rh factor (Rh-). In particular, these include Australia, Austria, Brazil, New Zealand, Spain, UK, Switzerland, USA. In all these states, the “explosive” nature of the spread of the disease was indeed noted.
This hypothesis is supported by the fact that people with negative Rh factor have a higher risk of developing certain cardiovascular, respiratory and some other diseases associated with immunity. The listed pathologies often accompany COVID-19, and they are both factors of a higher probability of infection and often arise during the course of the disease.
“Today we still do not know much about COVID-19, it is quite possible to assume that the risk of infection is increased in people with negative rhesus,” a leading researcher, deputy head of the laboratory for analysis of population health indicators and digitalization of health care at MIPT (university – participant of the project to improve the competitiveness of education “5-100”) Stanislav Otstavnov.
He noted that every hypothesis put forward by the authors certainly has the right to exist, but must be carefully tested. “This will require a series of articles where independent research teams will get more or less similar results,” he explained.
In May, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation told the stopcoronavirus.rf portal that “there is currently no reliable statistics on susceptibility to coronavirus depending on the Rh factor.”
Details in the exclusive material from Izvestia:
Blood News: Rh Negative Increases Risk of COVID-19 Infection