Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was known that older adults — especially those with marked comorbidities — were the most vulnerable to the effects of the coronavirus. Now, high mortality figures despite the availability of vaccines, are raising more doubts than certainties about the strategies and measures that have been taken in the U.S. to protect this population.

With the U.S. close to exceeding 800,000 total deaths from COVID-19, 75% of these deaths have occurred in patients aged 65 or over, regardless of whether they have been protected or prioritized to receive vaccines before anyone else.

Taking in account an investigation by The New York Times, the United States is close to reaching another morbid milestone with a percentage of deaths among adults 65 and older that show one in 100 people have lost the battle to COVID-19.

According to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the last two months, with more than 1,200 deaths per day, the proportion of deaths in older people has increased again. This comes despite the fact that many elderly people continue to restrict their normal activities to a greater extent than others. In addition, many have also already received three doses of the vaccine — at least 87% of the elderly population according to the CDC.

Unlike the majority of deaths over the Summer, which were especially concentrated in the U.S. South, since the beginning of October, cases have spread more rapidly throughout the country, especially in states such as Pennsylvania, Texas and Michigan.

Right now, COVID-19 is the third-leading cause of death among Americans 65 and older, after heart disease and cancer. Since the beginning of 2020, about 13% of all deaths in this segment of the population are attributed to the virus — a higher percentage than that of diabetes, accidents, Alzheimer's and dementia.

Hospitals in the Midwest and Southwest, as well as New England, once again are seeing increased occupancy levels due to the high influx of patients in December, especially the unvaccinated.

The expansion of the Delta variant, as well as the arrival of Omicron, at a time when children, young people and adults under 60 have relaxed many of the self-protection measures, increases the stress of the adult population that is forced to isolate themselves. As a result, they neglect their mental health and monitoring other diseases unrelated to the virus, which increases the feeling that they are not being taken into account amid the pandemic.