Why Novel Coronaviruses (COVID-19) Hits Baby Boomers and Seniors Hardest.
Preliminary estimates suggest that Baby Boomers and Seniors may be particularly susceptible to the Novel Coronavirus Respiratory Effects, which can cause pneumonia and symptoms like fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
The New England Journal of Medicine found that the median age of the first 425 infected with Coronavirus was 59 years old – Baby Boomers.
There are two main reasons why Baby Boomers and Seniors have increased susceptibility to coronaviruses.
1) Baby Boomers are more likely to suffer from underlying conditions that hinder the body’s ability to cope with and recover from illness, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
2) Baby Boomers immune response changes with age, the exact mechanisms are still working to fully understand.
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Early indications of the Coronavirus has shown that Baby Boomers and Seniors experience more inflammation early on in the course of the illness, affecting the part of the lungs where the delivery of oxygen to the bloodstream and the removal of carbon dioxide takes place.
As Baby Boomers get older our lungs are not as elastic or as resilient as when we were younger. Those kinds of things, coupled with any kind of health issue we might have, trend toward this loss of airway function and respiratory function.”
The emergence of the Coronavirus has overlapped with that of another potentially fatal respiratory illness – the flu. The Flu remains at elevated levels across much of the country and has affected an estimated 19 million people so far this season, resulting in at least 180,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths – the majority of the hospitalizations and deaths are Baby Boomers and Seniors.
Scientists are working to develop targeted treatments for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
In the meantime, U.S. health officials recommend that Baby Boomers halt all nonessential travel and practice preventive hygiene measures, including thorough handwashing with soap and water.
