Abstract

Worldwide attention has been drawn to the recent COVID-19 outbreak. Many studies have shown that under the pandemic, elderlies, especially those with chronic diseases, are more vulnerable than youths. Upon infection, older people tend to endure a higher hospitalization and mortality rate, and the mortality rate after acute hospitalization appears even higher for frail elderlies than non-frail ones. Moreover, older COVID-19 patients can exhibit different, atypical clinical manifestations such as falls, delirium, general weakness, functional decline, and other geriatric syndromes indicating frailty. Therefore, this review suggests that the most effective way to improve the prognosis of COVID-19 infection in the elderly is to avoid the occurrence of frailty.