For older Americans, the pandemic is not over

Seniors increasingly pressured to protect themselves as the rest of the country abandons precautions: "Americans disagree on the duty to protect others."

At the beginning of December, Aldo Caretti developed a cough and, despite all his precautions, tested positive for Covid during a test home. It took his family a few days to persuade Mr. Caretti, who disliked doctors, to go to the emergency room. There he was sent straight to the intensive care unit.

Mr. Caretti and his wife, Consiglia, both 85, lived quietly in a condo in Plano, Texas. "He loved to read and learn, in English and in Italian," said his son Vic Caretti, 49. "He absolutely adored his three grandchildren."

Aldo Caretti had experienced some health issues last year, including a mild stroke and a severe bout of shingles, but "he recovered from all that".

Covid was different. Even on a ventilator, Mr. Caretti had difficulty breathing. After 10 days, "he wasn't better," said Vic Caretti, who came from Salt Lake City. "His organs were starting to break down. They said, 'He's not going to make it.'”

At least, this late in the pandemic, families can being with their loved ones at the end of life. When the family agreed to take Mr. Caretti off the ventilator and provide him with comfort care, "he was alert, very aware of what was going on," his son said. He was holding everyone's hand." He died hours later on Dec. 14.

For older Americans, the pandemic still poses significant dangers Around three-quarters of Covid deaths have occurred in people over 65, with the greatest losses concentrated in those over 75.

En January, the number of Covid-related deaths fell after a holiday peak, but still numbered around 2,100 among 65-74 year olds, more than 3,500 among 75-84 year olds and p almost 5,000 among the over 85s. These three groups accounted for about 90 percent of Covid deaths nationwide in the past month.

Hospital admissions, which have also fallen, remain more than five times higher in the over 70s than in the 50s. Hospitals can put elderly patients at risk even when the conditions that brought them on are successfully treated; the harmful effects of drugs, inactivity, sleep deprivation, delirium and other stresses can take months to recover - or can send them back to the hospital.

"There continue to be very high costs of Covid," said Julia Raifman, a public health policy specialist at the Boston University School of Public Health and co-author of a recent op-ed in the New England Journal of Medicine.

ImageMs. Bravo from New Mexico and her sister, Desi Bravo , at a family event several years ago. "Our world has become much smaller," said Ms. Bravo.Credit...Adria Malcolm for The New York Times

The demographic divide reflects an ongoing debate as the pandemic focuses on: What responsibility do those...