What Seniors Should Know About the COVID-19 Outbreak

As the COVID-19 strain of the coronavirus continues to spread globally, we are all faced with some uncertainty. How dangerous is the virus, how can we protect ourselves, and what are some of the recommendations and safety precautions we should be practicing?

As it most severely impacts seniors, we are here to explore how it can affect you.

More information is available daily, as scientists across the world work to learn as much as they can about the outbreak, and governments strive to minimize the spread of the virus. At the same time, however, we also find ourselves in the midst of a fair degree of panic, with news outlets everywhere reporting on death tolls and new cases on the hour.

To help mitigate some of your natural fears and keep you as informed as possible, let’s run through the key facts we know about the disease and how it may affect your life.

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is a strain of coronavirus: a large family of viruses that cause respiratory infections in humans. We have previously faced the outbreak of SARS and MERS, which both belong to this group of viruses.

COVID-19 itself is a new strain of coronavirus, which has been unknown to us before its outbreak began in December 2019, in the city of Wuhan in China.

How does it spread?

You can catch COVID-19 from another human who has the virus. It spreads through small droplets when an infected person coughs or exhales. This means that you can also become infected if you touch surfaces and objects which have these droplets on them and then touch your eyes, mouth, or nose. You can also catch the virus if you breathe these droplets in.

Research has not yet shown that the virus is airborne – and scientists believe that it is not transmitted through the air, but further research is still being carried out on the subject.

Another important point to cover is transmission from an infected person who does not exhibit symptoms. As COVID-19 can be very mild in some cases and cause nothing more than a mild cough, especially in its early stages, you can still get infected through coming into contact with someone who does not appear to be particularly ill.

What are the symptoms?

The most commonly seen symptoms of this strain of coronavirus are fever, dry cough, and tiredness. It can also be accompanied by aches and pains, a runny nose, sore throat, nasal congestion, and diarrhea.

The symptoms are usually mild and will develop gradually over time. People can also become infected and not develop any particular symptoms or feel particularly unwell. Around 80% of cases will not need any special treatment.

How many people have been affected?

At the time of writing this article, there have been 129,771 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world (you can see the latest statistics on this page). There have been 4290 reported deaths, and 114 countries and territories have reported cases.

Of course, we can assume that not everyone who has the virus has been tested, so numbers are likely even higher than what we currently know.

Death rates among seniors are higher than others: with 14.8% in the 80+ years age group, 8% in the 70-79 age group, 3.6% in the 60-69 age group, and 1.3% in the 50-59 age group.

How does this apply to me?

The main challenge of COVID-19 is that in around 1 in 6 individuals, it will cause difficulty breathing and can also turn into viral pneumonia.

Those who are under the most threat of complications include the elderly, and those with underlying medical conditions, like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and a compromised immune system.

Since there is no vaccine available for the disease and viral infections can’t be treated with antibiotics, and since we haven’t yet discovered a medication that can successfully combat the virus, these complications can lead to death.

How can you stay safe?

Naturally, knowing all of these facts does cause a certain degree of fear and panic. This is why the first thing you can do to stay safe as a senior is not to give into it, remain calm, keep abreast of the situation, and adhere to the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization about prevention measures. These include:

• Wash your hands frequently. If you’re going outside, take an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or tissue with you, and clean your hands often. When at home, wash them with soap and water, and do so more thoroughly and more often than you normally would.
• Maintain at least 1 meter (3 feet) of distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. If you need to cough or sneeze, do so into a tissue that you will dispose of immediately. If you don’t have one on hand, cough or sneeze into your elbow.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth – especially if you are outside. This can transmit the virus from your hands into your body.
• If you develop a cough, fever, and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention as early as possible. Don’t go to your local GP or hospital – call the services that have been made available by your local area, and adhere to their instructions.
• If the virus has spread in your area, stay indoors as much as possible, and avoid contact with others. Take your regular medications and work on boosting your immune system. If you begin to feel ill, limit your contact with others to prevent any potential infections.

The important thing to bear in mind is that it is also flu and cold season. Even if you do come down with some of these symptoms, you may not be infected with COVID-19.

Try to remain as calm as possible and assess your situation carefully – stay vigilant, monitor your health, and focus on doing what you can to prevent an infection.

What outcomes are expected?

Some countries have already managed to curb some of the spread of COVID-19. As we learn more about the disease, we will be better equipped to combat it.

In any case, personal responsibility is very important – work on keeping yourself healthy and safe and adhere to the WHO’s guidelines on disease prevention.

Don’t give in to panic and do what you can for yourself and your loved ones – as that is the best way to prevent any further spread of the disease.

Resources:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports/

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-age-sex-demographics/