COVID-19 and elderly: growing incidence of depression among infected geriatric population during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Since its outbreak in Wuhan, the novel coronavirus has rapidly spread across the globe. Today mankind has become vulnerable to this new virus. WHO has declared it a pandemic owing to the rising number of cases across the world rapidly. Emerging data suggests that there is relatively higher mortality among the elderly, ranging from 3.6-14.8% [1]. This fact is also exaggerated in the media leading to awe and depression among them. Weaker physical fitness, reduced immune function and decreased psychological coping ability has made the geriatric population more susceptible to this disease. Recent literature also suggests that elderly individuals are more prone to depression and anxiety during this COVID-19 pandemic [2, 3]. In this report, we present 4 elderly COVID-19 patients who succumbed to severe degree of depression due to the prevailing loneliness after getting infected with this disease.