Since the first pandemic outbreak reported in December 2019 in China, millions have succumbed to this deadly virus. Scientists and researchers worldwide while trying to find the cure, noticed something very intriguing- the disparity in deaths due to COVID-19
Death Disparities- Vulnerabilities Of Men To COVID-19
Hospital data from China revealed that more men succumbed to COVID-19 than women. This trend was noticed in more countries starting from Asian countries like South Korea to European Countries like Italy. And then the trend followed all the way the west- USA and Canada.
By mid-October 2020, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported the death of nearly 17000 more American men than women.
This data provided by CDC was correlated by a UK-based initiative called Global health 50/50 which reported that for every 12 females 10 males in the US succumbed due to this deadly virus.
But the bigger question is- why the disparity?
More Male Death- The Complexities?
There have been many theories put forward by scientists and researchers since the first outbreak.
There are more complexities when one tries to answer the disparity and there is no single answer to this question.
There are theories put forward by the researchers related to biological factors-genes, hormones, and immune response while some have advocated theories related to social and behavioral norms in men.
According to Katharine Lee, a biological anthropologist, and engineer at Washington University in St. Louis- the social and behavioral factors and not the biological factors are responsible for the death disparities.
Biological Factors- The Weaker Immune Response?
The theory put forward by the scientists is what we call- UNGUARDED X HYPOTHESIS.
According to this theory, women generally have high immune responses as compared to men because of sex chromosomes and chromosomes related to immunity.
According to microbiologist Sabra Klien of John Hopkins University, at least 60 genes in X chromosomes are related to immunity. Since males have one X chromosome and females have two- the chances of high immunity response in females are more than what it is in males.
Similarly, Akiko Iwasaki of Yale University who specializes in studies related to immune defenses studied everything that forms the bulwark of immunity systems in the human body- cytokines, chemokines, T cells, B cells, neutrophils- and concluded that the master regulator of the immune system i.e. T-Cells response in males are quite weak as compared to that in females. T-Cells not only detect infected cells but also kill them and simultaneously, help in directing the antibodies response.
Not only this, Iwasaki concluded that there is a slow decline in T-Cells in females when they age and in males, it’s just an abrupt dive off a cliff. The T-cell response in males in their early 40s and 50s is equivalent to what a female has in her 90s.
The Behavioral And Social Factors- The New Complexities?
Many scientists don’t hold the biological factor as the strong reason for death disparity.
According to the research published on PNAS- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America- males care less about COVID-19 and take less precaution as compared to females.
Females take a more cautious approach, follow the guidelines, and care more about returning to their workplaces safer. They are more likely to follow the guidelines like washing hands more often, wearing masks in public places, and maintaining the social distancing norms. Apart from that, they keep a close watch on symptoms and keep themselves and their families on immune-boosting foods.
The other possible social reasons according to the researchers are the disproportionate male workforce- jobs in transportation, construction sector, agriculture, factories, meatpacking plants, etc. These jobs expose males to viruses and they eventually come in contact with more infected people.
But there might be one social factor that adds up to the weaker immune response- Smoking. Men’s lungs are weak due to continuous smoking which leads to more vulnerability to the COVID-19 virus.
The Disparities In Death Across The States?
Sarah Richardson, director of the GenderSci Lab at Harvard University, and her team have been collecting the Sex data on COVID cases and death ever since the pandemic began and starting from April 2020 to December 2021 they have studied these data across the 50 states of the USA.
The data recorded by Dr. Richardson and her team found no disparity in cases but the disparity in the death rate- The death rate of men is higher and varies across the states.
In Texas, the Death Rate of men was higher than women. In New York, the Death rate of men was higher but not as high as it was in Texas. In Connecticut, surprisingly, the Death rate of women was higher as compared to that of men.
Recording the data over 55 weeks, the report of Dr. Richardson and her team concluded that The death rate of women was higher in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, comparatively equal in 9 states including Connecticut, and higher death rate in men across the rest of the states.
Wrapping It Up
There is no single answer to the explanation of death disparity. The closer we look the more complexities there are. While we have data related to death for men and women we still have no death data of transgender or people who are yet to identify their gender.
But there is one positive in a pandemic- while we can’t control the biological factor, we still can control our behavioral or social factors. The sudden realization that social and behavioral factors affect life expectancy, vulnerability to diseases, and immune response have made everything a bit more real.
