Study finds weaker COVID-19 immune responses in men than women


Researchers behind a new study have reportedly shed some light on why COVID-19 may hit older men harder than women.
A study published in Nature this week has concluded that men produce a weaker COVID-19 immune response than women do, The New York Times reports.
The researchers reportedly looked at the immune responses of men and women who were hospitalized with COVID-19, and they discovered that the women "produced more so-called T cells, which can kill virus-infected cells and stop the infection from spreading," the Times writes. Meanwhile, men were found to have weaker T cell activation, especially the older they were.
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"If you look at the ones that really failed to make T cells, they were the ones who did worse with disease," Dr. Akiko Iwasaki told the Times. However, "women who are older — even very old, like 90 years old — these women are still making pretty good, decent immune response," Iwasaki explained.
Based on these findings, Dr. Marcus Altfeld told the Times that "you could imagine scenarios where a single shot of a vaccine might be sufficient in young individuals or maybe young women, while older men might need to have three shots of vaccine." Read more at The New York Times.
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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