KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 14 — The higher rate of male coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients is due to non-medical factors, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said.

Among others, he said the number was skewed by the overwhelmingly male attendance at the Sri Petaling tabligh event that went on to become the country’s single largest Covid-19 cluster responsible for nearly 40 per cent of all cases so far.

“Why men are more than women, which is about 75 per cent of those infected, is because the Sri Petaling event was attended by mostly men.

“We also found that the most of the deaths are from that tabligh event,” said Dr Noor Hisham during his daily briefings on Covid-19 at Putrajaya today.

He also suggested that men were more likely to be infected as they would typically leave their homes more as the heads of households permitted to be out during the movement control order (MCO).

On the higher mortality among male Covid-19 patients, Dr Noor Hisham said this was more likely influenced by their advanced age and comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiac issues, and other chronic illnesses.

He pointed out that over 85 per cent of Covid-19 deaths in the country included some form of comorbidity.

“These are some of the factors that contribute to a high number of male deaths,” Dr Noor Hisham explained.

Acknowledging public fears of infection, Dr Noor Hisham said Covid-19 was still spread by droplets and contact with contaminated surfaces.

“We base all our findings on how Covid-19 spread from evidence and facts.

“WHO (World Health Organisation) have also provided guidelines and precautions and they are still the same,” Dr Noor Hisham said.