Based on currently available information and clinical expertise, older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. It is our duty to keep these people safe by practicing social distancing, proper hygiene, and wearing a face mask in public spaces if possible.
Based on what we know now, those at high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19 are:
- People aged 65 years and older.
- People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility.
- People of all ages with underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, including:
- People with chronic lung disease or asthma
- People who have serious heart conditions
- People who are immunocompromised in another way, such as smokers, cancer treatment, bone marrow or organ transplant recipients, immune deficiencies, poorly controlled HIV/AIDS, and prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening medications
- People with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥40)
- People with diabetes
- People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
- People with liver disease