Why Older Adults<br />Are More Vulnerable<br />to COVID-19 Even before it began to spread across the world,<br />early data from China suggested that older adults<br />were the most vulnerable to COVID-19. Of the first 72,314 patients in China, the fatality<br />rate for those between 70-79 was 9.8 percent.<br />For those over 80, it was 18 percent. With new data emerging from Italy,<br />the second-most-affected country, it is even<br />more clear just how at-risk older adults are. According to a March 4 analysis conducted by Italy’s<br />national health institute, 81 was the average age of the<br />105 patients who, at the time, had died of COVID-19. There are a few factors<br />as to why older people<br />are more vulnerable. Older adults tend to have less<br />robust immune systems, making<br />it harder for them to fight off new<br />infections like this coronavirus. Their systems have less white blood cells, meaning their<br />body's ability to find and fight pathogens is greatly decreased. Older adults also have a higher prevalence of<br />chronic health conditions, such as cancer or diabetes,<br />making it harder for their bodies to ward off infections. This is also why people with<br />pre-existing conditions, regardless<br />of their age, are also at a higher risk. Finally, social factors play a role in the vulnerability<br />of older adults to COVID-19, as many reside in<br />nursing homes or long-term care facilities. This risk was evident at the Life Care Center<br />in Kirkland, Washington, where the coronavirus<br />quickly spread between 50 residents in the<br />center, killing 23 of them.
