The coronavirus and age

Here’s some data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health as of August 3 as reported by the Boston Globe. For the population from 20 to 79 years of age, the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 ranges from about 1,700 to 2,000 per hundred thousand people. This means that one out of every 50 to 60 people in that age range has experienced a coronavirus event. By contrast, for people over 80, it one out of every 18 people. 

The death rate from COVID-19 climbs with age regardless. At 70 to 79 one out of every 303 people in the Commonwealth dies from coronavirus; at 80 and older it’s one out of every 54. It is inescapable that the old folks among us are more apt to suffer from the virus and we are more likely to die from it. 

I am alarmed at the incompetence of the COVID-19 challenge at the highest level of government. For oldsters, the risks of disease and death are much higher than the general population - and unacceptably and massively greater than the risks from guns or vehicles. You can count on us to take matters into our own hand as best we can - with masks, with social distancing, with washing of hands and sanitizer, with self-imposed isolation, and the demand that those we encounter respect our vulnerability with their own actions.