What is reason for rise in cases in over 60’s?

[Watermelon999]

In our area this has really risen and obviously leads to more hospitalisations and more poorly patients, with rise in itu admissions.

What is the reason for this?

Is it the result of people still seeing family? Or family providing childcare? (I know some will still be working themselves).

The OP must live in an atypical area, because the stats show that so far the second wave has been driven by the under 55s. Despite that, hospitalisations and ICU admisssions are rising rapidly.

So the answer to the question in the title is that it has remained mercifully low because in RL most people are complying pretty well with measures to reduce transmission.

Unfortunately reduce and eliminate are not synonyms, so infections in the the groups which have really driven this wave so far (those aged 20-55) will inevitably reach the older age groups.

It's is possible that compliance is lower in the 20-55s and this accounts for the rise there first.

Me too, I know of so many doing wrap around care and see so many out and about caring for children. They are silent spreaders sadly 😢

Well thanks a bunch wondersun. Was there any need for that? Putting our lives at risk to ensure our children can carry on working and have some semblance of a life, looking after our grandchildren and we are given a nasty label like that. Not all grandparent child minders are living the life of riley in their spare time. I'm sure many are like us - tired and anxious with zero social life.

@knittingaddict she means the children are silent spreaders

Does she? It sounded like older people out and about with their grandchildren are super spreaders.

@knittingaddict

Does she? It sounded like older people out and about with their grandchildren are super spreaders.

Yes, it does sound like that.

I think the thrust behind OP's q and some responses is the false idea that you can wall off people at higher risk eg over 70s or people in care homes and everyone else just carry on as normal.

Unfortunately it does not work like that.

If even one infected person slipped through and contacted the quarantined people then an epidemic would quickly rip through. The chances of that get higher and higher as more people in the general population are infected. And it is obvious that it would escape because you clearly cannot shut off all people of one age group from another even if it was desirable.

It's a nice idea but it's not realistic or effective. We can only prevent excess deaths and the NHS being overwhelmed by whole population measures. What young people do does inevitably affect older people

If you look at simulations then the effect of having a central hub like a school where lots of people from different parts of a community contact one another is to massively accelerate spread. The government knew this and it said it would only reopen schools if there was effective track and trace and there isn't so a second wave was then inevitable.
I really do want schools to stay open but they are definitely fuelling spread.

The only effective strategy (barring a vaccine or a cure) is to reduce cases in the whole population to a level where track and trace can be effective.

We need another lockdown to get back in control and then to have proper effective track and trace like we were supposed to have last time. The sooner we have it the less long it will have to be so I wish Boris would quit dithering about because it will happen. It might be that the Welsh first minister is proved to be right in what he had done in acting decisively and quickly. We shall see.

@ICouldHaveCheckedFirst

Oh the ageism on this thread is depressing!

OP makes an unsubstantiated statement about the over 60 age group, and people pile in with explanations about them (me) living in their "twilight years". Sheesh.

@ICouldHaveCheckedFirst

I hope you’re not implying I’m being ageist?

Please read the whole thread. I posted this in response to the large rise in hospital admissions and deaths of the 60+ age group in our hospital. (NW). This is fact, not my own opinion and not unsubstantiated.

I completely agree that this age group are not the cause of this and that it was caused by the increase in the younger age groups. But unfortunately when it reaches this age group the hospital admissions rise. This has led to us having to again cancel the routine service we provide which is devastating for our patients.

Contrary to what others have implied, I have also not stated that I think all over 60’s should be shut inside. Many of my colleagues are 60+ and are an important part of our team. I don’t agree that anyone of any age should be forced to isolate. Please show me where I have stated this?

OP, I wrote "unsubstantiated" because

1. you didn't provide data to back up your statement;
2. @TheSeedsOfADream posted a link to a heat map for England which showed a greater rise in cases of CV in other (younger) age groups.

I am not accusing you of making ageist statements, but some posters took your OP as a green light to do so, creating an undercurrent of ageism running through the thread.

I think when the scientists did heat maps they showed highest heat in younger groups but was concerned this would eventually spread to older groups. They were already starting to see this.

Many people in their 60s work, have friends, go to the shops and tbh there are quite a few who think because they're fit and healthy and run around like a 40 year old, they must be ok.

Some people in their early 60s are not just grandparents doing the school run but parents. My neighbour had her children in her 40s and now at 61 her youngest is 14. People need to think a bit before they write.

@ICouldHaveCheckedFirst

inews.co.uk/news/health/covid-cases-hospital-admissions-coronavirus-england-rise-second-wave-top-tier-lockdown-areas-727991?ito=email_share_article-top

From OP's link:
"...data suggesting that a rise in infections among the young is leading to more severe cases in older age groups"

" [There is a] big increase across all age groups in terms of admissions to intensive care units."

"It is not just older people who are being hospitalised with the virus, Sir Patrick stressed, noting that “about 40 per cent of cases in hospital are under the age of 60.”"

I think we can safely deduce that all age groups are at risk of catching it, and that there is a rise in all age groups. It's quite likely to vary from area to area, day by day.

So we are probably all correct, a least at one point in time. The article in the link was dated 16 October. New articles are being published every day based on data from different sources and at different dates. Some data relates to England only, some to the whole of the UK ... it makes it hard to obtain an accurate and up to date picture of the situation.

Stay safe everyone, whatever age you are!