Figures suggest SA men are more vulnerable to Covid-19
Almost two-thirds of cases in the country currently involve men.
Jacob Maphanga sanitizes a taxi driver’s hands at Wanderers taxi rank during the South African Taxi Council’s demonstration of the taxi industry’s plans to contain the spread of coronavirus in taxi ranks countrywide, Johannesburg, 19 March 2020. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
The Covid-19 virus is presently infecting more men than women in South Africa.
Figures released on Sunday by the health department show some 62% of cases in the country involved males.
This broadly follows the global trend of infection in which women appear to be less vulnerable to the virus.
Deaths worldwide also show men have a much higher chance of dying from Covid-19.
The exact reasons why men appear to be more vulnerable remains a mystery. Initially figures coming out of China blamed higher levels of smoking in men. But the unequal infection rate between genders has now appeared globally.
Some researchers speculate higher levels of estrogen in women could make them more able to fight this particular virus. Although how this response may work remains unknown.
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