B.C. men hit hard by virus

Males make up 60% of hospital cases

Men and women in B.C. are affected by COVID-19 in ways that are different from people in other provinces, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says.

While women account for a disproportionate share of coronavirus deaths and hospitalizations elsewhere, the reverse is true in B.C., Henry said Thursday.

“Of the total number of cases that we have, 52% — or 1,290 — have been in women, and 48% have been in men,” Henry said Thursday during the province’s daily pandemic update.

“But when we look at the number of people who’ve been hospitalized or in ICU, that reverses,” she said, “so we have more men, about 60% of those who’ve been hospitalized have been men, and 64% of those who ended up in intensive care or critical care units have been men.”

As well, 95 of the 152 British Columbians who’ve died of COVID-19, or 62% of the fatalities, have been male.

“So our stats are slightly different from what we’re seeing in other provinces, but in keeping with what we’re seeing internationally, where there seems to a differential, more severe effect on men than women,” Henry said.

“We’re not entirely sure what the rationale is for that, and there’s a lot of studies that have been going on around the world to try and understand that better.”

Twelve more British Columbians tested positive for COVID-19 between Wednesday and Thursday, making the total 2,479. Of that, 2,020 have fully recovered, 152 people have died, and there remain 307 active cases.

One person is hospitalized with COVID-19 in the Interior Health region.

At one point earlier in the pandemic, about 4,500 beds across the province had been freed-up, through early discharge of patients and mass cancellation of scheduled procedures, to provide space for a deluge of COVID-19 patients that has not materialized.

Thousands of procedures that had been cancelled are now being performed and the number of vacant beds is decreasing.

“Increasingly, our hospitals are slowly becoming more occupied, about 69% of beds are occupied across the system at the moment,” Health Minister Adrian Dix said.

The question of the advisability of wearing a face mask came up again during the Thursday briefing, given some re-opening businesses are telling staff and customers to wear one.

Henry made her oft-repeated situation that a mask may provide some protection to others, by preventing a person’s viral droplets from spreading, particularly in an indoor setting where it may be difficult to maintain a two metre separation.

But wearing a mask will not be made mandatory, she said.

“I don't expect us to make them a requirement in any settings in B.C.,” Henry said.