HEALTH CHALLENGES OF THE ELDERLY IN RELATION TO COVID-19

Definition of elderly or old person varies around the world. In most developed countries an adult of age 65 years and above is considered an elderly, in Nepal for example, a person aged 60 years and above is considered an old person. With increasing life expectancy, the population of elderly is rapidly growing globally. This presents many challenges, one of which was faced during the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The discourse around COVID-19 among elderly is perceived to be due to decreased immunity and co-existence of co-morbidities. The new Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was initially diagnosed in Wuhan, China. The new Coronavirus, named severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), spreads from person to person. COVID-19 has been known as a pandemic as the World Health Organization (WHO) announced earlier in March 2020.