Top Doctor Responds: Blood Types Matter + Do Lockdowns Work?

Dr. Rajeev Fernando is one of New York's top infectious disease specialists, and this week, he talks about how the virus reacts to different blood types, and answers the question, do lockdowns really work?

When you need to know what's happening with the coronavirus, join KICKS 105.5 every Thursday morning. Dr. Rajeev Fernando answers your COVID-19 questions.

Is it true that people with different blood types are affected differently by the virus, and people with blood type O seem to be the least affected? What have you seen in your patients?

"It's critical competent that we are seeing. People with blood group O seem to be experiencing less illness, while A/B people tend to be more predisposed to a more severe disease, and wind up on mechanical ventilation, getting on a ventilator."

So, then there is a correlation between blood type and the virus.  

"Absolutely, we've been studying this for months and months, and now it's quite clear to us that there's more mounting evidence to say that there is definitely a link between people who have different blood types and the virus."

Denise in Brookfield asks, "since our school is closed again because of a few COVID-19 cases at the High School and Middle School, is this something we're going to have to deal with all during the school year?"

"I'm so glad this was brought up, my thoughts are that we have to start excepting the fact that this may not be the year of the student. We're seeing so many cases all over the country, so far, I think there's something like 190,000 cases between University students, and on college campuses, and it's really hard for someone who has been off from school for a few weeks, suddenly they say you can go back, and the day your suppose to re-start, they say we're re-closing. All this causes a lot of mental trauma for the kids. This has been a very difficult time for schools all over, and it's not healthy for a child to be home all day. During the winter, it's only going to get worse, you're going to have more and more closings with not only COVID-19, but seasonal colds and influenzas. The other thing is, parents, they plan on the kids going to school so they can go to their jobs, but all of a sudden the kids are at home again, it's just a washout year."

Laurie in Carmel wants to know how come the W.H.O. came out and said lockdowns don't prevent the spread of the virus, they just postpone the inevitable, do you agree with this?

"I disagree with that statement. Lockdowns are actually great when you need to slow the curve. When you have a state or country that is going crazy with positive cases, it's the only way to stop things. I don't advocate for it to go on for months and months, so when a country or area locks down, you have to think about the economic turmoil. Before you put a country into this kind of lockdown, I would have to advocate that you have to have a proper stimulus package ready to go for the people. It's a temporary fix, and we have seen this in countries all over the world. Some places lock down longer than others and that causes economic strain. So, I think as a temporary fix, lockdowns are good, but the risk comes when lockdowns last for a longer time, and the economy suffers."