Is COVID-19 hitting men harder than women?
As we all know that novel coronavirus has engulfed almost the whole world and people around the world are mourning. Frightening figures are coming from all over the world, especially from European countries like Spain, France, Italy etc. Even the superpower American is on its knees.
But if we analyse the data of multiple countries, we will find that the figures are more frightening for the male population than women.
Data is depicting that men account for a majority of COVID-19 deaths. According to the latest survey, the COVID-19 mortality rate for men was almost twice as high as that for women in China. In India also men account for three-fourth of both the cases and deaths. The situation is similar in other corona affected countries including South Korea.
This can be understood under three heads:
Behavioural Factors
This disease can cause severe complications in men because of their behavioural factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption as coronavirus triggers the respiratory system. This problem can be more in the case of China, where according to a figure, 52% of men smokes against only 3% women.
Immune System
The difference in how the immune system of men and women reacts to infection is also relevant in this context. Significantly, women tend to have stronger and more robust immune responses than women. There are many other diseases such as cancer, diabetes and diseases related to the respiratory system which attacks men more easily in comparison to women. In the case of Corona, it has also been observed that if a person is already suffering from either of these diseases it takes longer to recover from corona infection.
Underestimating risk
A recent poll by Reuters found that men are taking this disease lightly and that’s why they are behaving in a way that is pushing them to death. A study of more than 3000 people found that half of the men don’t wash their hands with soap after using the bathroom.
Ashi Dwivedi
(II year)
Banaras Hindu University
She is a prolific reader and very passionate for writing.
