Women at a disadvantage in fight against Covid-19, show studies

Studies about women’s susceptibility to Covid-19, and women facing less severe Covid-19 symptoms than men, are doing rounds through media reports. Some studies also suggest that women who contract Covid-19 may have a higher relative-risk of succumbing to the infection in India.

Also Read: Why women may face less severe Covid-19 symptoms than men decoded

Seroprevalence survey done in various states answer a few questions raised by these studies. Comparisons of Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad’s SARS-CoV2 seroprevalence surveys show that the prevalence of Covid-19 was higher among women than men. Pune’s SARS-CoV2 seroprevalence survey, however, found almost no difference in the infection prevalence in men and women.

ICMR in an analysis of over one million Covid-19 diagnostic tests found that most Covid-19 positive samples belong to men, while comparatively fewer women were even tested for Covid-19 in the first place.

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In most large countries, men account for more Covid-19 cases than women. Figures by Global Health 50/50’s Covid-19 Sex-disaggregated Data Tracker and Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also show that more men have died of Covid-19 than women in India as well as globally.

A study published in the Journal of Global Health Science found that 2.9 per cent of men who contracted the virus died while 3.3 per cent of women who contracted the Covid-19 died in India.

Based on the 2018 data from the office of the Registrar General of India, women made up just 40% of the total number of registered deaths and just 38% of them were medically certified deaths. Global Burden of Disease Study showed that globally, out of all registered deaths in 2016, 47% were female.

(With inputs from PTI)