COVID-19 & senior citizens

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a pandemic status for the COVID-19 viral infection. India with a population of 1.3 billion had reported its first case on January 30, 2020. India is a densely populated country. The Government of India took the decision to promulgate countrywide lockdown since March 25, 2020.

The extent to which citizens comply with newly-enacted public health measures such as social distancing or lockdowns strongly affects the propagation of the virus and the number of deaths from COVID-19. It is, however, very difficult to identify non-compliance through survey research because claiming to follow the rules is socially desirable.

In late December, 2019, clusters of pneumonia cases with unknown cause emerged in Wuhan, China. Sequencing of lower respiratory lavage fluid indicated that the disease was caused by a novel coronavirus in humans that was subsequently named 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2020). The novel coronavirus is thought to be a relative of the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) viruses. These coronaviruses are all characterized by flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, and chills — they can also cause severe respiratory illness and death (WHO, 2020). During Spring Festival in China, hundreds of thousands of people left Wuhan, often via public transport, potentially carrying the virus with them. As a result, the virus is now rapidly spreading worldwide.

On the 31st January, 2020, the WHO declared the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) (WHO, 2020). By the 1st February, 2020, 14,380 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed nationwide by the Chinese government (including medical staff), and another 19,544 cases were suspected (National Health Commission, 2020). Shortly after, hundreds of cases were confirmed in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Germany, and the United States of America (WHO, 2020).

The Government of Assam is aware of the dilemma of the elderly. Several administrative steps to facilitate supplies, fiscal assistance, internet-banking facilities and meal supplies may address their physical needs. Neighbours and NGOs try to organize help for the older residents. Media report of a Mumbai policeman helping a single octogenarian female suffering from diabetes mellitus by fetching not only her medications from pharmacy but also vegetables and cash from her bank are heartening to read.

The first case of Assam was reported on 31 March 2020. As of 9 July 2020, the Government of Assam confirmed a total of 14,032 positive cases of COVID-19, including 8,726 recoveries, three migrations and 22 deaths in the State. The State's as well as Northeast's largest city, Guwahati has been the worst affected by coronavirus.

Lastly, In the era of Digitization, one hopes that some kind of online measures should be taken and prove to be a boon, especially for elderly who face mobility issues, those with healthcare access issues, and for the rural population. Online access for older adults, once harnessed, can help create online support groups, provide video counseling, and help design diagnostic and therapeutic services. The COVID-19 pandemic could thus prove to be a blessing in disguise for accelerating healthcare resource and access issues faced by the population in India and Assam at large and the elderly in particular.

Hrishikesh Gogol,

Amul, (GCMMF) Guwahati.