Men are more susceptible to coronavirus than women
Almost six out of ten people (58%) in Switzerland who are or have been hospitalised for coronavirus are men, according to Federal Office of Public Health figures. When it comes to deaths, men are even more affected than women at 60%.
“Figures from China had already shown a similar picture and it was assumed that it could be related to smoking,” it said. “In China over 50% of men smoke but only a small percentage of women do. However, no clear results have yet been shown – more smokers have been affected, but the figure is not statistically significant.”
Among Swiss smokers the difference between the sexes is only a few percentage points, including older people. Although slightly more men smoke than women, this is unlikely to explain the 60:40 ratio in diseases and deaths.
Other factors must therefore also play a role, SRF said. Experts suggest the immune systems of women and men behave differently owing to the sex hormones oestrogen and testosterone. “In women, the immune system often reacts stronger and faster.”
Other possible explanations are that women care more about hygiene than men. “However, it’s not clear whether this is also the case in times of coronavirus. But men go to the doctor less often than women and also later. It could be that men with Covid-19 tend to react too late and then become more seriously ill.”
Switzerland is one of the countries most affected by the pandemic, with almost 16,000 positive tests and more than 350 deaths as of March 31.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
OECD: Sluggish economic activity slowing growth in Switzerland
This content was published on
Sluggish economic activity at the start of the year is weighing on growth in Switzerland, with GDP expected to fall to 1.1% in 2024.
Report finds mistakes which led to Swiss government data breach
This content was published on
Mistakes were made by both the government and internet company Xplain in the case of a criminal cyber-attack on the Bern-based IT business.
Swiss government wants better gender balance in federal administration
This content was published on
New Swiss government personnel management targets say there must be even more female managers in the federal administration.
Swiss national science foundation funded over 5,000 projects in 2023
This content was published on
In 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provided a total of CHF961 million worth of funding towards research projects.
Switzerland invites 160 delegations to June Ukraine peace talks
This content was published on
Russia is currently not among the delegations invited to talks aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.
Survey: air travel most popular way to go on holidays for Swiss
This content was published on
Despite the climate crisis, flying is the most popular mode of transport for private travel – particularly among young, urban and high-income travellers.
Swiss government to use phone data to identify asylum seekers
This content was published on
From April 2025, authorities plan to be able to analyse data from mobile phones, computers and other data carriers to identify asylum seekers.
This content was published on
Swiss scientists and drug companies are playing an important role in the global effort to develop treatments or a vaccine for the virus.
Covid-19 immunity testing to begin in some Swiss hospitals
This content was published on
The hospitals are planning to roll out testing to evaluate how many people have already been infected, including those who may have already be immune.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.