A blood test could spot people most at risk of falling seriously ill or dying from Covid-19 by scanning the size of their red blood cells, a study claims. The 'red cell distribution width' (RDW) test measures the difference in size from a patient's largest to smallest red blood cell. Regularly monitoring the red blood cells could help determine whether they are responding to treatment or getting worse, the researchers add. While variation is common, average red blood cells are 6 to 8 micrometers (μm) in diameter. Red blood cell distribution width is expressed as a percentage, a figure above 14.5 per cent is considered to be elevated.

Source: Daily Mail September 24, 2020 16:05 UTC