Does Nature Have a Systematic Sex Bias: Prevalence, Mortality, and Trend of COVID-19

Abstract

Abstract Background The unprecedented outbreak of a contagious respiratory disease similar to pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus termed as COVID-19 has led to a pandemic claiming millions of lives worldwide. Potential vaccine candidates are underdevelopment to contain and mitigate the spread of global cases and deaths. Preliminary reports suggest that males and females are affected in cases and deaths differentially. Objective To study the statistical significance of sex and gender bias in COVID-19 infection and deaths across 75 selected countries in the world, specifically for the United States. To summarize, the prevalence and incidence rates of this infectious disease globally segmented by developed, developing, and transitioning countries. Methods Data on sex are collected from the sex-disaggregated data tracker Global Health 50/50, University College London until September 21, 2020, UN COVID-19 and gender monitor, and CDC COVID data tracker. The hypothesis was tested using the binomial proportion test to be 50% within males and females for infection rate and mortality. Prevalence and Incidence rates by sex are illustrated graphically. Results Females in countries with transitioning and developed economies have a higher number of cases and deaths than males, but in developing countries, males have high mortality due to coronavirus. Also, men are at greater risk of worse outcomes if infected with the SARS-Cov-2 virus, including mortality. The differential effect of gender in death counts in the US is statistically significant, with reported p-values < 0.05. In the oldest US population (85+ years), female's death rate is higher due to the virus. Monthly deaths in the US was at its peak during March - April 2020 for both sexes. Conclusion Clinical researchers, health insurance planners can follow the suggested approach outlined here to target a specific population for inaugural vaccination and immunization. Although everyone should follow the CDC guidelines of prevention, it is recommended that the females strictly follow the CDC guidelines due to a higher rate of Covid-19 infection. Also, the effect of age is delineated to help vaccine administration priority.