The elderly are considered a vulnerable group to infections and have the greatest risk of death in the current situation of the severe COVID-19 outbreak, due to their preexisting medical conditions, degenerative physical conditions, and weakened immune systems.
Prof. Vipan Prachuabmoh, Ph.D., Dean of College of Population Studies, Chulalongkorn University, warns "The most worrying is the elderly who live independently. In such a case, neighbors and people in the community should keep an eye on them as well as provide them with food, drink, and medication, and check if they have any COVID symptoms.
According to the National Statistical Office of Thailand in 2017, about 10.7 percent of the 12 million elderly people in Thailand live alone and about 20 percent live together as a pair. In rural areas, the proportion of the elderly living as a pair is slightly higher than in urban areas. Furthermore, approximately 39% of Thai elderly people earn less than 30,000 baht per year; the elderly in rural areas earn less than 30,000 baht per year in greater proportion than the elderly in urban areas. (44.5 vs. 31.1%)
However, living independently or not with children, having a low income or being poor all impede access to proper medical and public health services. .
Prof. Vipan, Ph.D. also expressed her concern for the elderly living in the rural areas and their children coming to work in Bangkok or other big cities. "It's very worrying that there will be a chance of the elderly getting COVID-19 from their children. I really want you to be more careful. Try to self-quarantine for the first 14 days, but it will be safer if their children don’t go back to their hometown. Remember to always stay home."
She further noted that developed countries have suffered a high loss of life as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, which is due in part to the age structure of their elderly population. This group of population account for more than one-fifth of the total population. For example, Japan has the highest proportion of elderly people (over 60 years old and over) in the world, as one-third of the total population, as well as Italy, where the proportion of elderly people is second only to Japan. Both countries have lost lots of elderly people from this outbreak.
Thailand is considered as a developing country that is rapidly becoming an aging society, with about 12 million elder people. Thus, there is no timely preparation of resources or policies to cope with such a situation. This could cause Thailand to quickly lose the elderly, who are valuable resources.
Prof. Vipan Prachuabmoh, Ph.D., Dean of College of Population Studies, Chulalongkorn University
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