Women are the stronger sex in fighting COVID-19 – here's why, says Duke researcher

by Sarah Avery — April 15, 2021 .
DURHAM – When it comes to COVID-19, women seem to be the stronger sex, suffering severe disease at about half the rate as men, but the reason for this has been elusive.
Now a chance experiment by an ophthalmology researcher at Duke Health has led to an insight: Women have more of a certain type of immune cell that fights infections in mucosal tissue, and these immune cells amass in the lungs, poised to attack the COVID virus.
“Better armed with these specialized immune cells, women appear to be more equipped to fight some of the most severe impacts of COVID-19, notably the respiratory infections that can become life-threatening,” said Daniel Saban, Ph.D., an associate professor in Duke’s Department of Ophthalmology and in the Department of Immunology.

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