Theory and Practice of Aging during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Never before in history has population aging been a driving factor in epidemics to the same extent as with the current COVID-19 pandemic, with its dramatic shift in mortality towards older age groups. The paper presents the results of an analysis of the COVID-19-related mortality data for Spain, Italy, and Sweden, which show that within the 30- to 90-year age range, the logarithms of mortality rate depend on age linearly, and all regression lines are strictly parallel to the lines corresponding to the dependencies of the general mortality on age in accordance with the Gompertz law. In all cases, irrespective of the countries and epidemic stages, the mortality doubling times within this age range are close to 7.5 years. The probabilities of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the causative agent of COVID-19, and of the development of the clinical symptoms of infection depend on age to a much lesser extent. Based on these observations, three main points are proposed for discussion: (1) Older people have become the main victims not only of SARS-CoV-2 itself but also of the measures undertaken to prevent its spread; (2) At the same time, older people are not the main force driving the spread of SARS-CoV-2, and (3) Older people can and should participate in the fight against the pandemic and in overcoming its consequences, but not through their selective isolation and other forms of discrimination. People over 65 years of age make up a considerable segment of the population and have at least as much right as other age groups to have their needs and interests be respected and observed, including the right to as high quality of life as is accessible even in extreme situations. The prospects for full control over SARS-CoV-2 are vague. This is why those who are in charge of decisions that concern people over 65 years of age should mind that, unlike the situation in the Middle Ages, the age of 65+ is the individual future of almost everyone.