Covid-19 appears to have affected men in Ireland much more severely than women, according to new research.

The Society of Actuaries in Ireland (SAI) carried out an analysis of statistics compiled by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) for the first quarter of 2021. It showed that while more women than men tested positive for Covid-19 during this period, more men than women died from the virus.

In fact, once a person had tested positive for the virus, they were at least 25% more likely to die if they were male.

According to the SAI, these findings are consistent with results in most other countries where data is available.

“It is important to remember that these are not just figures, they are people, and each death is a trauma for a family. As the vast majority of deaths have, to date, occurred in older age groups, the success of the vaccination rollout may substantially alter the age profile of those who die with a Covid-19 infection, and it will be interesting to see if the gender bias persists into the future,” the SAI commented.

It noted that there may be different reasons for these higher death rates in males, such as higher rates of smoking among males, and better immune response systems among females. However, it added that such while such suggestions are “reasonable, these are conjecture”.