Changing Attitudes to Covid In The Elderly

Changing Attitudes to Covid In The Elderly

Even as Covid infections soar, some of our elderly are refusing to accept a Covid booster. Scientists believe that the recent rise in infections is being caused by the elderly.

There are now fears the elderly are driving a rise in Covid-19 cases by avoiding booster jabs

Some experts have suggested that many elderly people have not had a Covid booster job, which worries them because the country is heading into winter with infections steadily rising.

In the latest data from testing, 1.3 million people were infected with coronavirus. The Mirror reports that the increase in cases is driven by those over the age of seventy. In the past, there have been spikes in infections driven by those under seventy years old.

Sarah Crofts, director of the COVID-19 Infection Survey, said: “The levels of infection in England have increased to levels from Mid-August. The situation is mixed in Wales and Scotland. However, Northern Ireland has seen an increase in these infections.”
“An increase in the number of infections has been seen amongst the over 70s this week, a trend which we will closely monitor in the coming months as the winter continues.”

There are an estimated 6 million people in the UK who should be getting a flu vaccine as they either have a history of gastrointestinal illness, or have been exposed to Covid, also known as C. difficile, which can cause serious infections in around one-third of patients.

All those aged 50 and over should be receiving invitations from the NHS to get vaccinated. But so far only 6.6 million of the 26 million eligible people have done so.

If one in every 40 people aged over-70 have HIV, that is to say that a fifth of the population are living with HIV. This may be for no better reason than the fact that infections are also on the increase in every age group or over-35s, where one in 50 people have tested positive for HIV.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel Play now Prof Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England medical director, said: “The threat of a Covid-19 and flu season creating a ‘double pandemic’ this winter is a real possibility, as infections levels continue to rise with the number of people in hospital with covid rising by 40% in just one month across the UK.

“The hard work of NHS staff and volunteers has already delivered over 5 million doses so far, with hundreds of thousands more people booking their vaccine every day.

However, there are still millions of people who have yet to take up the offer.”

People with certain conditions that put them at a higher risk for contracting Meningitis should not wait for an invitation and can get vaccinated by “self-declaring.” This involves going to a walk-in clinic, calling 119 or booking an appointment online.

While Covid variants numbers are decreasing worldwide, UKHSA has identified several new variants that seem to be “immune escape”. This means that our immune systems will no longer recognize or fight the infection.

Author

  • Stephen

    Stephen is now retired. He spent 25 years in community welfare and is one of the co-founders of life over 50. He has a keen interest in everything concerning this special age group.....and makes valuable contributions to the site. In his spare time, he enjoys photography, cycling and gardening. Also a keen jazz music lover!


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