Older adults in the first wave of the Corona pandemic

Excerpt

Since spring 2020, the Corona pandemic holds the world in its grip. Covid-19 has increased the death rate across all countries in the world with—in April 2021—almost 3 million deaths worldwide (WHO Covid-19 Dashboard). In the course of the pandemic, healthcare institutes and professionals came under extreme pressure. Older adults were hit hardest by the pandemic. Older people belong to those risk groups with the highest mortality risk of Covid-19, with exponential increase in the mortality risk. Beside age, the impact of the pandemic has been patterned according to social class, health status and migration status, affecting especially the lower social classes, migrants and most vulnerable people. During the first wave of the pandemic in spring and summer 2020, governmental infection control measures were aimed at physical and social distancing, shutting down shops, restaurants and theatres, where people have close contacts, as well as reducing movement of people within and across countries. By now, many countries have experienced a second wave of the pandemic and a second lockdown, and some even a third one. Shortage of masks has been overcome in many countries, but frequent testing and especially the speed of vaccinations remain critical issues, particularly for economically less privileged nations. In this situation, it is necessary to know how the living situations of older people have changed due to the pandemic itself, and the political measures meant to restrain its spread (Vieira et al. 2020). …