The Y Factor: Is It a Risk for Increased Mortality in Covid-19?

Abstract

India is currently experiencing the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is widely known that there are sexdifferences in the immune system and it is believed that these have affected clinical outcomes in men and women suffering from COVID-19. We aimed to study the Case Fatality Rates in both genders in our institute and assess the gender difference, if any, and probable reasons for the same, in both waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. We analysed data from our institute from April 2020 to June 2021. It included the total admissions and case fatality rates in men and women month wise, as well as their respective patterns during the rst and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in our nation with a view to assess the gender difference in these groups. Case Fatality Rate (CFR) is the percentage of the total number of deaths due to a particular disease and the total number of cases due to the same disease. It is the propensity of a disease to kill and is simply the ratio of deaths to cases. Our study revealed a greater number of female admissions throughout the pandemic but a lower COVID positivity rate in women during the second wave. There were fewer Covid positive women in the second wave, but female CFR was greater than male. During the rst wave, more women were Covid positive but male CFR was more than double that of women for that period.

Marginalized COVID-19 patients and their significant others in Kashmir (India): manifesting the hidden structural vulnerabilities

“…As per health experts, the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kashmir proved to be more gruesome than its first wave. It left a deathly trail as April registered 45 123 infections and 289 fatalities, while more than 72 000 COVID-positive cases and 963 deaths were recorded in the first 18 days of May across J&K ( Wani, 2021 ). It has overburdened the healthcare facilities and medical professionals in the region.…”