Older people facing COVID-19: demographic trends and policy actions

Abstract

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the population of the countries of Latin America (LA) depends, to a large extent, on the public policies, and particularly on the health actions, that governments have adopted to confront the social and health crisis the pandemic has brought. Older people deserve special attention as one of the most vulnerable demographic groups to this infectious disease. The objectives of this work are: firstly, to examine the COVID-19 trend from confirmed cases and mortality due to this cause among older persons from a group of LA countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Uruguay) and Spain. Secondly, to explore actions and policies put in place in these countries to support older persons in particular, during the first wave of the pandemic.