New Study Done By The Health Ministry Says 70% Of COVID Deaths Are Amongst Men. So Are Women At A Lower Risk Of COVID?

People say that the coronavirus, unlike humans, does not discriminate. It does not see age, gender, economical status or religion. It’s hard to fully agree with this theory. Ever since the COVID outbreak in China, studies have shown that men are more susceptible to getting infected. Even the most recent study done by our health ministry shows that 70% of the deaths caused by the coronavirus are among men. So, it seems like women are finally winning at something. But do we really want to win this one? 

On Tuesday, the centre gave a break up on the basis of gender and age of those infected by the coronavirus. In case you were wondering, India is still sitting at the number two position with 10,245,326 cases and 148,475 deaths. According to the recent study done by our health ministry, out of all those deaths, 70% were among men. This is a staggering statistic. 

While addressing a press conference, union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that men and women respectively account for 63% and 37% of the total cases in the country. It’s clear that the coronavirus is playing favourites when it comes to gender. And this is probably the only time that it’s not sexist to prefer men over women for something. JK. 

In the press conference, the minister said, “Eight per cent cases have been reported below the age of 17 years, 13 per cent in the 18-25 years age group, 39 per cent in 26-44 years group, 26 per cent in 45-60 years group and 14 per cent above 60 years.” 

The Centre also noted there is no evidence that current #COVID19 vaccines will fail to protect against the SARS-CoV-2 mutants reported from the UK or South Africa.https://t.co/2CHFU9Ta4Y

— Firstpost (@firstpost) December 29, 2020

Also Read: Studies Show That The Coronavirus Has Hit More Men Than Women And Their Lifestyle Might Be To Blame

Why is COVID affecting men more than women?

However, sometimes numbers talk louder than words. These are not unusual statistics, even when there was an outbreak of the SARS and MERS virus, the death rate of men was much higher than that of women. Which brings us to the question, why do these epidemics work so strongly against men as compared to women? 

The answer, of course, lies in our varying biologies. Some new research led by researchers at the University of Alberta looked into why women COVID patients face less severe consequences than men. They found that women possess hormones and chromosomes that contribute to a stronger immune response. 

However, the highlight of this study was the role that ACE2, a human enzyme linked to the X chromosome, plays in the matter. The chromosomes that women have seem to have two copies of the ACE2 gene and men have only one copy. This seems to make women less susceptible to being infected by COVID 19.  

However, while it’s great that we are less likely to develop complications when it comes to COVID,  this is not something we can brag about. The thing is, even though women might be better at fighting the virus, overall, women are amongst the worst affected by this pandemic. And I don’t mean only health-wise. Basically, this a war that no one is winning.

https://thehauterfly.com/lifestyle/rise-in-unsafe-abortions-in-india-indicates-how-coronavirus-pandemic-has-severely-impacted-female-reproductive-health-services/