Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Population Aged 70 Years or Older on Loss of Autonomy

The question of the outcome of elderly populations in the immediate aftermath of the epidemic and at a distance from it are essential to measure the effectiveness of the medical care that has been undertaken, but also to adapt the response to the specific problems of the elderly population. It is likely that the older, more fragile population will take longer to recover from the epidemic than the younger population because their functional reserves prior to coronavirus disease 19 are lower. In addition, the possible consequences of containment must be added to the burden of co-morbidities and dependence prior to the epidemic. Containment is synonymous with a restriction in social relationship, and sometimes a reduction in the support provided on a daily basis to frail or even dependent elderly people. Moreover, containment alone may be responsible for the onset or worsening of pathologies.

In most diseases, older people have less typical symptomatology than that described for younger people. The investigators therefore hypothesize that within the framework of coronavirus disease 19, the clinical pictures in the elderly will present specificities that will need to be described. Moreover, since infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus is new to humans, the investigators do not yet have sufficient information on the fate of the elderly, in terms of loss of autonomy, rehospitalization, institutionalization, mortality, etc. The investigators therefore assume that the clinical pictures in the elderly will present specificities that will need to be described. The investigators hypothesize that an acute infection of this type will have short-, medium-, and long-term repercussions in the elderly.