Statistics indicate that more Malawian men are contracting the novel coronavirus than women at a ratio of 70-30 percent.

Co-Chairperson of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, Dr John Phuka, issued a press statement on Saturday in which he announced that the country had recorded a total of 110 new cases bringing the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases to at least 730.

Phuka said of the new cases, 103 were detected from the 457 returnees from the South Africa that arrived through Mwanza Border and Kamuzu International Airport.

According to the doctor, of the 461 active cases 70 percent were male.

“The average age of the cases is 32 years, the youngest case is aged one year, the oldest is 78 years and 70 percent are male,” he said.

Health expert, Maziko Matemba, said there are several reasons that have put men at more risk of contracting the virus than women, though he suggests that more research can be done.

Apart from suggesting a detailed research, Matemba noted that one of the reasons is that men travel more than females, hence exposing themselves to the infection.

“Another thing is that men are not used to seeking health services as compared with women. So women are more knowledgeable about health than men,” he said.

Matemba further blamed the spike in Covid-19 cases on the just-ended political campaign rallies where people were not observing social-distancing rules.

“At a time when the cases are increasing like this and we have seen more people dying, people still seem not to be moved. It is so scary, we might see more deaths in the near future,” Matemba said.

He has since urged all citizens to “go back to the drawing board” and closely adhere to precautionary measures.