Biology helps more women beat virus
Two months after the coronavirus outbreak began the world’s epidemiologists at last have the key information they were missing to understand the disease: data.
China has published a detailed breakdown of the characteristics of the first 44,000 cases, and it does not require a sophisticated understanding of the statistics to see the risk factors.
To avoid dying from this new virus don’t be old; 15 per cent of those over 80 who catch it die, compared with 0 per cent of those under 10. Don’t be already sick; 10 per cent of those with heart disease die. And don’t be male.
In its first six weeks almost equal numbers of males and females were infected by the disease but after that their chances diverged markedly: 1.7 per cent of women went on to die, compared with 2.8 per cent of men.
There are two ways of explaining the discrepancy. One is that it reflects different behaviours. We know that men are less good at washing their hands, for instance, but that would explain higher infection rates, rather than higher death rates. We also know that in China men are far more likely to smoke, which might lead to a weakened immune system.
Most virologists suspect that the explanation is more fundamental: not different behaviour, but different biology. This is far from the first outbreak to follow the pattern. With Sars, the respiratory virus outbreak in 2003, the death rate among men was 50 per cent higher. With Middle East Respiratory Syndrome it was 25 per cent higher.
In general, female immune systems seem to be better adapted to fighting off viruses. Why is a matter of speculation. It has been suggested that females need stronger immune systems to better pass protective antibodies to their offspring.
The number of new virus infections in South Korea jumped again yesterday. The US military reported its first case in the country, a 23-year-old soldier.
South Korea’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said 134 of the 169 new cases were confirmed in Daegu, where the government has been mobilising public health tools to contain the virus. Another 19 cases were in neighbouring North Gyeongsang province towns.
About 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression from North Korea. United States Forces Korea previously said a widowed dependent had the virus, the first case involving a USFKrelated individual.
China has recorded 2715 deaths from Covid-19 and 78,064 confirmed cases of the virus on the mainland since the illness emerged in December.
Italy had taken Europe’s most stringent preventative measures and yet became home to the biggest outbreak outside Asia. Experts in Japan acknowledged the mishandling of a virusstricken cruise ship could have allowed the problem to magnify.
Several Middle Eastern countries reported jumps in new cases tied to travel from Iran, which has the highest in the Middle East with 95 cases and 15 deaths. Kuwait’s Kuna news agency said 11 cases have been confirmed there as of yesterday. Bahrain had 17.
Japan’s case total of 860, third highest behind China and South Korea, includes 691 from the Diamond Princess. – The Times, AP