Residents wait outside a store to buy groceries in Ghaziabad on April 8, 2020 following the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to seal hotspots in 15 coronavirus-hit districts.

Residents wait outside a store to buy groceries in Ghaziabad on April 8, 2020 following the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to seal hotspots in 15 coronavirus-hit districts.
  | Photo Credit: AFP


76% of the confirmed cases in India and 72% in Pakistan are men.

In a striking contrast with many countries, men in India more than women appear disproportionately likely to test positive for COVID- 19, an analysis of global data shows. This anomaly, experts told The Hindu, could be a statistical reflection of relatively low testing for the disease in India. Last week, the Health Ministry said 76% of the confirmed cases in India were men.

Many countries — including the United Kingdom and the United States — while publicising data on cases and death rates don’t have sex-segregated national data. However, data from 40 countries, which do share such data and compiled by GlobalHealth5050, an independent research initiative that tracks gender and health, suggest that the gender-split in all countries is roughly 50-50, barring two exceptions: India and Pakistan. 72% of our neighbour’s 4,004 cases have been confirmed in men.

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