Three quarters of those who die in critical care with Covid-19 are men, according to the latest figures published by the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC).

The research found that men make up 73 per cent of admissions to critical care with Covid-19 and 75 per cent of deaths. This is in stark contrast to seasonal flu, for which men account for 54 per cent of admissions and 24 per cent of deaths.

While women and men are both twice as likely to die if admitted to critical care for Covid-19 compared to flu, men are at particular risk. Covid-19 is also far more dangerous for those who are overweight or in minority ethnic groups, the research suggests.

The ICNARC report analysed data on patients critically ill with confirmed Covid-19 reported to ICNARC up to 4pm on April 16 2020 from critical care units participating in the Case Mix Programme – the national clinical audit covering all NHS adult, general intensive care and combined intensive care/high dependency units in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, plus some additional specialist and non-NHS critical care units.