Why men are now more likely to get COVID than women in the UK

The reason why men are now more likely to get COVID than women in the UK has been revealed.

According to scientists, Euro 2020 may be the reason why men are now one third more likely to catch the potentially deadly virus then women. Imperial College London have performed a study and this shows that between June 24 and July 5 one in 170 people in England were infected with the virus.

This is a first time that an infection rate difference has been spotted between men and women. Scientists believe that this difference may be due to men having “more social activity than usual” due to Euro 2020.

Steven Riley, professor of infectious disease dynamics at Imperial College London believes that the increased rate currently seen in men is linked to several factors.

“There’s lots of evidence that mixing inside is more likely to result in transmission than mixing outside” said Professor Riley.

“If I had to speculate about the impact of the Euros, I would first think about the possible impact – much, much more broadly than around when we are around London – I would think about the increased probability that people are mixing inside more frequently than they otherwise would.

“So my first thought wouldn’t immediately be to the stadium and the immediate surrounds it would, it would be about the more general behaviour of the population, but we don’t have results that speak to that directly in this study.”

Public Health Scotland have discovered that 2000 cases of the potentially deadly virus in Scotland are linked to Euro 2020 matches.

Professor Riley added that:  “Different things could be affecting it. I think the degree to which men and women are socialising, is likely to be responsible,

“And then because of the timing of that, then it could be that watching football is resulting in men having more social activity than usual.”

The Health Secretary Sajid Javid has urged people to use common sense as the UK heads closer to relying on personal responsibility rather than government rules.

“As we unlock society and learn to live with COVID-19, we will inevitably see cases rise significantly over coming weeks” said Javid.

“But today’s findings show that infection rates are three times lower for those who have had two vaccine doses.

“It is more important than ever to get that life-saving second jab so we can continue to weaken the link between cases, hospitalisations and deaths and build a wall of defence against the virus.

“As we move from regulations to guidance and get back to our everyday lives, see our loved ones and return to work, it is vital people practice good sense and take personal responsibility for their own health and those around them.”

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