According to data released by the union health ministry, the mortality rates of men of the novel coronavirus disease are more compared to women. The data also said that at least half of those who died were over the age of 60.
The data shows that of the 1,074 COVID-19 deathsreported from across the country till Thursday afternoon, 65% are men, which isin line with the evidence so far that COVID-19 kills more men than women.
According to an April 22 study published in the peer-reviewed American journal, JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), an analysis of 5,700 Covid-19 patients hospitalized in 12 hospitals in New York City showed that at least 60% were men, and of the 373 patients who were undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU), 66.5% were men. The most common co-morbidities were diabetes, hypertension, and obesity among critically ill patients.
Age and underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, kidney or heart disease, are also being seen as risk factors for developing a severe form of the disease in Indian patients. As many as 78% of those deaths were suffering from some form of chronic health condition, and 51.2% were above 60 years of age.
Of the 51.2% of those above the age of 60, 42% arebetween 60 and 75 years of age, and 9.2% were above 75 years of age.
According to the joint secretary of the health ministry, Lav Agarwal, the data clearly shows that the elderly persons and those with underlying medical conditions need to be extra careful as they tend to develop a severe form of the disease.
He further stated that as far as India is concerned,it is much better as 3.2% of the total infected patients have died. Globally,the current Covid-19 death rate is at 7.28%, with Italy having the highest at13.60%.
