The Covid-19 virus seems to be more virulent to males when compared to their female counterparts. Sample this: About 68 per cent of deaths due to virus is reported among male patients and 32 per cent among female patients in India, saisd the Union Health Ministry while sharing the details of the profile of the Covid-19 patients.
Also, 50 per cent of the total Covid-19 deaths reported in India so far are among people aged above 60, said Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan at a press briefing here.
“About 37 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in India took place in the age group of 45 to 60 years, while 11 per cent of deaths were recorded in the age group of 26 to 44 years,” he said.
According to a study involving thousands of patients from Europe, men have higher concentrations of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), an enzyme that enables the SARS-CoV-2 virus infect healthy cells in their blood, than women and this may probably help explain why men are more vulnerable to Covid-19 than women.
The study has been published in the European Heart Journal.
