More men than women appear to be dying from coronavirus

Smoking, drinking, general poor health: Researchers say these are some of the factors that could explain why more men seem to be dying from coronavirus than women.

In countries such as Italy, men represent nearly 60% of people who tested positive for the virus and more than 70% of those who have died, according to the country’s National Health Institute (ISS).

Even in countries like South Korea, where the proportion of women who have tested positive for the virus is higher than that of men, about 54% of the reported deaths are among men.

But while health officials are starting to take note of these staggering numbers, the United States is not releasing the basic nationwide data that is crucial to understanding who is most vulnerable to the virus, according to a CNN analysis.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, said at a White House press briefing on Friday: 

From Italy we’re seeing another concerning trend. That the mortality in males seems to be twice in every age group of females.

Regarding this data on Italy, Birx said in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: 

Just having the knowledge of that helps us in the United States so we can be very specific in talking to the American people about who to protect and how to protect them.