SYDNEY, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Men admitted to hospital for suspected COVID-19 symptoms were twice as likely to need treatment in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) than women, an Australian study showed on Thursday.

The Monash University-led research analyzed data from 76 ICUs across the country treating 149 suspected COVID-19 patients since March 14.

Preliminary data from this ongoing research showed men were twice as likely to be admitted (67 percent of cases) to ICU than women (31 percent), while people over 60 years old made up 69 percent of ICU patients.

Co-leader of the research, Professor Andrew Udy from Monash University, told Xinhua the initial results matched up with reports from other countries that a greater number of men had been admitted to ICU with confirmed COVID-19 than women.

"This is the first time we have data outlining the number of COVID-19 patients requiring ICU, the duration of their care, the type of treatments they're receiving, and the number that are surviving," Udy said. He added the data also provided important insights on how the medical resources could be prioritized for the sickest COVID-19 patients.

"From a broad national perspective, this data gives us important insights into the type of therapy, care, and medical intervention our sickest COVID-19 patients need," Udy said.

"It means we can inform clinicians and improve the therapies provided, as well as appraise resourcing, particularly if we experience a sudden spike in cases over the coming months." "The ability of our health system to cope with a pandemic may be measured in part by the ability of ICU to respond to the sickest patients," he added.

As of Thursday, Australia reported 6,975 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 98 deaths.