A Health Gap: Disparity in Immunity & Well-Being in 2020

As the novel coronavirus has swept through communities around the world, preying disproportionately on the poor and the vulnerable, one disadvantaged group has demonstrated a remarkable resistance. Women, whether from China, Italy, or the U.S., have been less likely to become acutely ill—and far more likely to survive than their opposite sex.

The sex gap in COVID-19 survival became apparent early in the pandemic. Reports from China indicated men were dying at higher rates, but there the disparity was attributed to higher smoking rates. Interestingly though, the outcomes from China were consistent with other countries, with men in Italy dying at higher rates than women, and men in New York City dying at nearly double the rate of women.

According to data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), men seemed to be affected more severely by COVID-19 than women, with other early studies suggesting men were also dying at a higher rate than women.¹

In a recent article published in the International Journal of Men’s Social and Community Health, Derek Griffith, a professor of medicine, health and society, and founding director