According to a Guardian Australia examination of the department of health statistics, younger Australians have suffered the brunt of the Covid epidemic, with persons in their 20s having the highest number of instances of any age group.
However, while the number of coronavirus cases was highest in the 20s, followed by the 30s and 40s, the severity of the disease was considerably higher among older Australians. The number of illnesses and deaths among Australians over the age of 80 was disproportionately high, with the majority of these happening during Victoria's protracted epidemic last year.
Professor Marylouise McLaws, an epidemiologist at the University of NSW, notes that during the pandemic, those aged 20 to 39 have been at high risk of infection.
“Even before Delta, we saw young people shouldering 40% of the load. They are from a lower socioeconomic background. They frequently perform numerous jobs or live in cramped quarters because they like or are forced to do so. So it's no wonder that those between the ages of 20 and 39 are at such a high risk,” McLaws said. “Yet they've been ignored because they can't get in for love or money to be vaccinated.”
Covid instances have been found in a substantially greater percentage of people in their 20s and 30s than would be predicted based on their demographic share. Australians over the age of 90 have had substantially higher cases per capita than any other age group.
Despite the fact that the caseload is predominantly younger, older Australians have been the ones who have died the most. Although those over the age of 80 make up a small percentage of the Australian population, they account for more than 40% of fatalities in the pandemic.
Only one person in their twenties has died thus far. Five people in their thirties and forties died. These three age groups make up around 40% of the population. When the number of cases and fatalities are converted to a rate per 100,000 people, it becomes clear that individuals above the age of 90 have been affected considerably harder than anybody else.
More than 400 instances have been reported, with 150 fatalities per 100,000 persons over the age of 90. In their eighties, the numbers decline to over 50 fatalities and more than 150 illnesses per 100,000 individuals.
According to data released by the health department in early March of last year, cases skew significantly older demographics. At the time, those in their 50s and 60s accounted for 20% of new cases, while those in their 40s and 30s accounted for 15% apiece. However, early infections among international travelers may have skewed the results.
The majority of infections among Australians over the age of 70 happened last year during Victoria's prolonged second wave. The number of Covid cases per 100,000 persons over the age of 80 increased from 64 at the start of August 2020 to over 140 by the conclusion of the month. Many of the illnesses among older Australians, according to McLaws, occurred in aged care institutions, where people served as a "captive audience."
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