According to a study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, COVID-19 affects males more severely than females because the virus targets adipose tissue more frequently in females than their lung tissues.

Dr. Jyothi Nagajyothi of the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI), US, stated that the findings of the study suggested that female adipose tissue acts like a sink or reservoir for SARS-CoV-2. Hence, spare the lungs from a greater viral load, preventing pulmonary damage due to infiltrated immune cells and activated proinflammatory cytokines.

The Nagajyothi Lab demonstrated that when exposed to COVID-19, females lost more weight than males. The study discovered that females displayed more virus in their adipose tissue, whereas males exhibited more virus in their lungs.

The findings of the study showed that SARS-CoV-2 infection affects immunological signaling and cell death signaling differently in male and female subjects infected with COVID-19. The researchers claimed that these findings explain why men are more susceptible to COVID-19 than women. 

(Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/25/why-does-covid-19-kill-more-men-than-women-researchers-grapple-with-gender-mystery )