The consequences of the pandemic have been more fatal in men, whose mortality in the country has marked a very high increase, in the period July-December 2020, compared to the same period a year ago. 

Eurostat has updated the weekly data on deaths in Albania for the whole of 2020, detailing them by a breakdown by gender (such data has not yet been published by INSTAT). In total, according to Eurostat, in 2020 in the country were recorded about 27.700 fatalities, or 5,800 more than in 2019, with an increase of 26.6%, similar figures to those published by the Albanian Statistical Institute. 

The increase in mortality in the country started in the 25th week, which coincides with the beginning of the second half of June, culminating in the 46th to the 49th week (November 9 to the first week of December). 

The two deadliest weeks of the pandemic were week 47 (November 16-22), with 956 casualties, 2.4 times more than the same period a year earlier, and 49 (November 30 through December 6), where 988 fatalities were registered, with an increase of 133%.

The pandemic hit more men, a frightening increase of 69% from July to December. Worldwide, the pandemic has resulted in higher male mortality. Scientific studies have shown that both biological factors (stronger immune responses) and behavioral risk factors (e.g. smoking and other lifestyle habits) put men at a greater risk for health complications and death as a result of COVID-19. Men are twice as likely to die from COVID-19, being influenced by a range of hypotheses, lifestyles and the fact that women typically have stronger immune systems, thanks to female hormones as well as chromosome structure. 

The same tendency has been observed in Albania. According to Eurostat data processed by Monitor, male deaths increased by 32.5% in 2020, compared to the previous year, or about 3,800 more. While the lost lives of women increased by 19.7% for the same period (about 2000 more). 

In July-December 2020, when the pandemic wave began and peaked, male deaths increased by 69% (from 5,546 in July-December 2019 to 9,360 in July-December 2020). In the last two months of 2020, there were also weeks when the losses of men's lives were three times higher than in the same period in normal years. For example, in week 49 there were 611 deaths among men, three times higher than the same period a year ago and twice as many as women in week 49 of 2020. 

For the same 5-month period, female fatalities increased by 42% (from 4,733 to 6,719). Even in women, the curve is the same as in men, with the increase starting from mid-June to culminating in late November and early December, but the increase in mortality is about 40% lower than that of men. 

On average, in a normal year, 53% of deaths are male, while for the whole of 2020, this weight has increased to 57%. During pandemic weeks, about 60% of fatalities were men.