It’s widely accepted that males with longer ring fingers have greater testosterone levels, making them more attractive, but how does this connect to coronavirus-related problems? Scientists in the United Kingdom appear to have the answer.

Many people are aware that a man’s index finger is usually shorter than his ring finger, and that women’s index fingers are longer than men’s, but are you aware of the relationship between finger length and COVID-19? The length of a person’s digits may provide an indication as to how ill they may become after contracting the coronavirus, according to an international team of experts.

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports by researchers from Swansea University in Wales in collaboration with the Medical University of Lodz in Poland and Sweden’s Karolinska University Hospital.

The scientists based their findings on the generally held belief that a longer ring finger suggests higher amounts of testosterone, the primary sex hormone in men, while a longer index finger indicated higher levels of oestrogen, the primary sex hormone in women.

Men have longer ring fingers, while women have longer index fingers, according to the hypothesis.

According to one of the study’s authors, Professor John Manning of Swansea University, the severity of COVID-19 “is related to low testosterone and possibly high oestrogen in both men and women.”

Manning mentioned “feminized differences” in digit ratios in hospitalized patients, namely the ratios of the second, third, fourth, and fifth fingers.

According to him, it “supports the view that individuals who have experienced low testosterone and/or high oestrogen are prone to severe expression of COVID-19. This may explain why the most at-risk group is elderly males [who typically have low levels of testosterone]”.

The professor emphasized that the view is “significant because if it is possible to identify more precisely who is likely to be prone severe COVID-19, this would help in targeting vaccination […]”.

“Our research is helping to add to understanding of COVID-19 and may bring us closer to improving the repertoire of anti-viral drugs, helping to shorten hospital stays, and reduce mortality rates”, Manning added, pledging that the scientists would continue to work and that they “hope to report further results shortly”.

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