COVID-19: The Top 2 Reasons for Seniors to Stay Home

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With the holidays fast approaching, you might be thinking about shopping for gifts, going to the store to stock up on food, or planning to travel to visit family and friends.

Sounds like typical plans for the holidays, right? Well, this year the holidays are anything by typical because of COVID-19.

Right now, more than 64 million people worldwide have tested positive for the coronavirus.
It’s claimed the lives of 1.5 million people.
The numbers keep rising, and the people most at risk...Seniors

Before you head out into the crowd of holiday shoppers or travel to celebrate the season, there’s two reasons you should stay home, according to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention.

1. Age increases the risk for severe illness from COVID-19

If you’re age 50 or older, your risk for complications are higher than younger adults. And the older you are, the higher your risk for:

Hospitalization
Intensive care
Need for a ventilator to help you breathe

Before you go shopping or travel, consider this. Is it really worth it? You can do your shopping online. You can even have your groceries delivered or stock up on Senior-Friendly meals without leaving home.

2. If you do get COVID-19, seniors have the highest risk of dying

If you do get COVID-19, and you’re older, your risk of dying is very high.

In fact, 8 out of 10 deaths from COVID-19 in the United States have been seniors age 65 and older.

Consider these sobering statistics from the CDC. Compared to a 29-year old adult, if you get COVID-19 your risk of dying is significantly higher.

50-64 years...30x more likely to die of COVID-19
64-74 years...90x more likely to die of COVID-19
75-84 years...220x more likely to die of COVID-19
85+ years...630x more likely to die of COVID-19

If you want to stay safe during the holiday season, stay home. Keep your social distance. Avoid small-group gatherings, and travel. Wear a mask if you are going to be around other people. And practice good personal hygiene. It may not be the way you planned to celebrate the holidays. But if you want to stay safe and live longer, it’s worth the effort.