The elderly are hit hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic. Italy still has a high number of deaths per week, how can we reduce these numbers?
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Over time, it has been found that the elderly are most affected by Covid-19. Since the beginning of the pandemic, many advances have been made in the medical field between vaccines and preventive measures and thanks to numerous studies, the causes of this heightened sensitivity have been found to be many. An article in La Repubblica, written by Aureliano Stingi, a doctor of molecular biology, reports some data and information useful for managing infections in older people to reduce deaths. According to a report by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), which collects all the characteristics of patients who died from Covid-19, it was found that the average age of deaths is 80 years and that men are more often affected than women . Essentially, it is emphasized that deceased subjects have an average of 3 or more pathologies: in addition, those who have not been vaccinated are at a higher risk of dying, who, however, have fewer pathologies than the vaccinated and are younger.
How to read the available data
According to data from the United States, which shows a similar situation, more than 70% of deaths occur in people over the age of 75: here the risk of death for an unvaccinated person is about 12 times higher than that for an vaccinated person. The data therefore points to at least three issues that need to be addressed: first, 30% of the non-elderly population is dying from Covid; two, that even vaccinated elderly subjects can die and three, that there is a strong presence of unvaccinated subjects in the groups most at risk. The first point focuses precisely on this last category, where immunizations should be pushed: in fact, the elderly should be vaccinated periodically in order to adequately deal with a possible Covid infection. However, many have not yet completed their vaccination course and others have not yet received a single dose. The second point concerns mortality among vaccinated elderly people: two years after the outbreak of the pandemic, timely treatment of those who contract the Sars-CoV-2 infection is essential. One of the drugs available is Paxlovid, which is very effective in reducing the risk of death and hospitalization.
Don’t forget the long Covid
Finally, as evidence mounts that mortality from Covid-19 is related to biochemical, immunological and even genetic factors, it is imperative to study deaths in the elderly. This is to identify the riskiest test subjects in time to protect them and, if necessary, to treat them quickly. Even those who are at long-term Covid risk must be studied and identified in a timely manner, as an important part of the population faces this kind of highly disabling syndrome, and it is also necessary to provide them with protection and targeted treatments.
Source: TG 24 Sky