Sex disparity in COVID-19 infection and mortality

Abstract

The outbreak of Covid-19 is caused by a severe acute respiratory syndrome novel coronavirus 2 (SARS-nCoV-2) that was officially reported in China at the end of December 2019, and is now spread across more than 180 countries worldwide. The source of this virus is not very clear; however, many research investigations speculated its origin from an unknown animal to humans. The sweep of viral infection is too high and the number of infected people is doubled every 3-10 days worldwide in the initial 6 months. Early data on Covid-19 suggests a higher infection and mortality rate among males as compared to females. In worldwide data analysis, we found that among European nations, viral infection in females is equal to or more than males, whereas in India, it is approximately thrice among males. When it comes to Covid-19 mortality, males are more susceptible than females across all regions with a few exceptions. In this article, we have discussed likely reasons for sex disparity in Covid-19 infection and mortality with a focus on India.