Coronavirus and the elderly: All you need to know

In a recent article in an online publication, Dr. Rahul Bhargava shared some insights on impact of Coronavirus on elderly. Here is an excerpt from the article:

“According to statistics, mortality in India due to the coronavirus stands at three per cent. Eighty per cent of this three per cent are people above the age of 75 years, said Dr Rahul Bharagava, director and head of department, Hematology, Haemato-Oncology & BMT, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram.

 Primarily, co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, heart ailments makes them more vulnerable. Their immunity is low, so co-medication does not help in simplifying their bodies’ responses to the virus. They tend to have an exaggerated reaction to the virus. However, the virus load is often very high in their bodies and their immunity is not able to mount as a result of which lung destruction takes place which leads to multi-organ failure,” he explained.

Excerpts from https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/coronavirus-elderly-population-risk-social-distancing-diabetes-covid19-6327766/