“You can have states right next door to each other, like Connecticut and New York, that have a totally different pattern but yet experienced the same wave,” Dr. Richardson said.
For 55 weeks cumulatively, mortality rates were slightly higher in Massachusetts and Rhode Island for women. The rates were nearly equal in nine states, which includes Connecticut. In the rest of the country, the death rates for men were higher.
Researchers found that these differences are unlikely to be explained by gender differences in genes or hormones.
“There would be no reason for biology to be that variable across time and space,” said Katharine Lee, a biological anthropologist and engineer at Washington University in St. Louis and an author of the new study.
Researchers suggested that many of these patterns could be explained by social and behavioral factors.
For example, men are more likely to have jobs in transportation, factories, meatpacking plants, agriculture and construction — occupations with higher rates of Covid-19 exposure and fatalities. Men are also more susceptible to being incarcerated and experiencing homelessness, which increases their risk of getting the virus.
Women are more likely to report hand washing, mask wear, and compliance with social distancing requirements than men. This could lower their risk of contracting the disease. Women are more likely than men to be vaccinated.
The researchers speculated that states that have more restrictions on public health might see fewer sex gaps. New York had a significantly higher death rate for males in the first six weeks due to the pandemic. However mortality rates dropped after restrictions were imposed. New York’s observed differences could partly be explained by better data collection and underreporting of deaths at long-term care facilities, where most residents are women.
Source: NY Times
