Nearly 80 per cent of the 500-odd victims of Covid-19 virus in Jharkhand were men, data compiled by the State health department reveals, highlighting that men infected by the lethal virus were at a higher risk of fatalities.
As per latest figures compiled by the National Health Mission (NHM), as many as 398 of the 515 Covid victims in Jharkhand were men, while only 117 were women. More men and fewer women died of the virus in all age brackets, reveals data with the State government.
Figures with NHM highlight that at least 258 of the Covid victims in Jharkhand were in the age bracket of 51 to 70 years, and 192 of them were men. The virus claimed the lives of 85 men and 24 women in the age bracket of 31 to 50 years, while 16 men and three women died of the virus in the age bracket of 11 to 30 years.
Medical practitioners are of the opinion that the low Covid mortality rate among women was due to their biological anatomy. State Coordinator of Indian Medical Association (IMA), Dr. Ajay Kumar Singh said that women had a stronger immune system and were more resistant to diseases, as menstruation and the ability to reproduce made them stronger.
“Menstruation is like a cleaning process which makes women stronger. Also, since women have the ability to give birth to a new life, their immune system was inherently stronger than that of men,” said Singh.
Even among elderly Covid patients, the count of fatalities was at least four times higher in men than in women. Of the 126 Covid victims, who were older than 70 years, as many as 104 were men and only 22 were women, the NHM data states.
“Even older women, who have crossed the age of menopause, were likely to have a stronger immune system than men of their age. Older women are also less likely to suffer from heart ailments and kidney related diseases when compared to men,” said Singh.
As per figures with the health department, at least 102 men younger than 50 years died of Covid-19 virus in Jharkhand. The virus claimed the lives of 29 women who were younger than 50 years.
Besides the anatomical difference between men and women, the social structure also played a role in their reaction to Covid-19 virus.
Several researches have attributed the higher fatality rate among men to their high-risk taking behavior and tendency to neglect diseases. “Men were more likely to neglect their health and violate social distancing norms. They were also more likely to smoke/chew tobacco or consume alcohol,” said Singh.