Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Women more likely to survive coronavirus in China, studies find

Women more likely to survive coronavirus in China, studies find

But frontline female medical workers also report more symptoms of anxiety and depression, researchers say. Men suffer more physical effects, accounting for 70 per cent of death toll in one survey

Women may be more likely to survive the deadly coronavirus, but they also appear to be more likely to have depression, anxiety and insomnia as they assume most of the burden of caring for patients, Chinese researchers have found.

The virus has caused less serious symptoms and lower mortality in women compared to men, according to two research papers by doctors working in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the disease. The papers have yet to be peer reviewed.

In one study of more than 1,000 patients across mainland China, including 37 who died in Wuhan, researchers found that men suffered more severe effects and were more likely to die, accounting for 70 per cent of the death toll, according to a study published on Thursday on medRxiv.org, a preprint server for health sciences.

In particular, the virus was “more likely to affect older males with comorbidities, and can result in severe and even fatal respiratory diseases”, the paper said.

The paper was written by researchers from Wuhan Union Hospital and Beijing Tongren Hospital, who were sent by the central government to Hubei province to help control the epidemic.

An earlier study of 47 patients with coronavirus-induced severe pneumonia found that male patients were more likely to have prior lung disease, develop secondary infections, require complex treatments and experience worse outcomes.

During one two-week period, men accounted for over 83 per cent of those whose condition deteriorated from severe to critical. At the same time, men represented just 20 per cent of those released from hospital, according to the study posted on the same website on February 27.

The study involved patients at one branch of Tongji Hospital in Wuhan and was conducted by doctors from Beijing Hospital and Xuanwu Hospital.

A similar gender difference was reported during the 2002-03 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) but not with influenza, the researchers said.



However, a third study suggests that this year’s coronavirus epidemic has taken a heavier toll on the mental health of women caring for patients.

The study, done by researchers from Guangzhou’s Sun Yat-sen University using online questionnaires via social media platform WeChat, suggested that nurses and others who were in contact with confirmed or suspected cases or working in the clinical front line were more likely to suffer psychologically.

The researchers surveyed nearly 5,400 doctors, nurses, clinical assistants and medical students in mainland areas outside Hubei, and found that women were more likely to report experiencing anxiety, depression or insomnia during the epidemic.

Women respondents were 2.4 per cent more likely to report anxiety, 6.7 per cent more likely to say they were depressed and 4.4 per cent more likely to say they had insomnia than men.

The survey was conducted last month and has been submitted to international medical journal The Lancet for peer review.

At the same time, most medical personnel sent by the central government to Hubei have been women, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).

Along with Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan, the only woman in the Communist Party’s 25-member Politburo, who is leading epidemic control efforts in Wuhan on behalf of the top leadership, more than 42,000 medical workers from across the country have been dispatched to the province so far.

The NHC said about 28,000 of them were women.

Earlier on Sunday, President Xi Jinping thanked these women for their dedication to treating the coronavirus patients, state news agency Xinhua reported.

He also thanked women working as police, and in disease control departments, the media, and residential communities, praising them for their important contribution to containing the virus.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×