COVID-19 is especially harsh on elderly people, and researchers think they know why
Posted 3
updated 3
AprApril 2021 at 9:07pm
Amy Chung said one of the most striking observations from the pandemic was the disproportionate disease severity and deaths in the elderly compared to children.
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Australian researchers have been investigating why elderly people respond so poorly to COVID-19, and theorise that it s linked to their repeated exposure to other seasonal coronaviruses.
Key points:
But older adults saw it as typical, seasonal coronavirus
It found children s immune systems could activate surrounding white blood cells to help clear the virus