Any new and highly infectious pathogen triggers a world of worry, with a slew of questions to which there are no immediate answers. From HIV to Ebola and from severe acute respiratory syndrome to Middle East respiratory syndrome, the early days — even years — of an emerging infectious disease have researchers scrambling for clues to shed light on the unknown.
COVID-19 is no exception. How is it spread? How virulent is it? What medication could possibly work? How fast can a vaccine be developed and tested?
It is only through data, consistently and thoroughly collected and assessed, that we can inform eventual answers and solutions to effectively address the pandemic.
And for the data to be complete, it must be disaggregated by sex. In other words, we must fully learn how COVID-19 is affecting men and women — from both medical and socioeconomic perspectives.
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