Distribution of ABO and Rhesus Blood Groups among COVID-19 Positive Subjects in Rivers State, Nigeria

Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) is a novel disease that is ravaging society today. It has been reported that individuals with some blood group antigens are more predisposed or susceptible to certain diseases. This study was carried out to determine the distribution of some blood group antigens among COVID-19-infected individuals. The study involved one hundred (100) subjects, comprising 75 males and 25 females, within the ages of 20 and 60 years, who were infected with COVID-19, and receiving treatment at the COVID-19 Isolation Centre. The bio-data of the subjects were obtained using a well-structured questionnaire. Five mililitres (5 ml) of blood collected asceptically from each of the subjects who gave informed consent were dispensed into K3EDTA bottles for the determination of the ABO and Rh blood groups. The bio-data show that 74% of the subjects were married while 26% were single. Also, 87% of the subjects had university degree or HND, 6% had OND while 7% had only secondary school education, indicating that majority of the subjects were educated. The results from the study showed that the distribution of ABO blood group among the subjects were 75% blood group O, 11% blood group A, 10% blood group B and 4% blood group AB. Also, 91% of the subjects were Rh positive while 9% were Rh negative. The results indicate that the blood group antigens found in the subjects were similar to the pattern reported in the population where the research was conducted. It is concluded that the prevalent blood group in this study was blood group O, while the most prevalent Rh group was Rh-D positive. It is recommended that blood groups be considered in the testing menus for the management of COVID-19 infection, since some subjects may have such blood group antigens that can predispose to the infection.