Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Aug 2:8:717692.
doi: 10.3389/fmed.2021.717692. eCollection 2021.

COVID-19 Isolation and Risk of Death in Cyprus Elderly People

Marios Kyriazis  1 , George Mikellides  1 , Heraklis Pantelidakis  1 , Marina Polycarpou  2 , Barnabas Panayiotou  3
Affiliations

COVID-19 Isolation and Risk of Death in Cyprus Elderly People

Marios Kyriazis et al. Front Med (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Social isolation is associated with a higher risk of morbidity and death in older people. The quarantine and social distancing measures due to Covid-19 imposed in most countries and particularly in Cyprus, aim to isolate individuals from direct contact with others. This has resulted in vulnerable older people being isolated at their places of residence for several months, while the recommendations for continuing lockdowns do not appear to be ending. The risk of death from causes other than those related to Covid-19 increases in such individuals and it is due to the effects of social isolation. We estimate that in the next years, there will be a significant increase in the death numbers of such older people in Cyprus. The health authorities must develop a program of support for these older individuals to include medical, social, physical, and psychological elements. Examples of such support are given here.

Keywords: COVID-19; Cyprus elderly; death risk; older people; prevention of mortality; social isolation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

References

    1. Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine . (2020). Available online at: https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/maximising-mobility-in-the-older-people-wh... (accessed April 11, 2021).
    1. Cacioppo JT, Cacioppo S. Social relationships and health: the toxic effects of perceived social isolation. Soc Personal Psychol Compass. (2020) 8:58–72. 10.1111/spc3.12087 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Webb L. COVID-19 lockdown: a perfect storm for older people's mental health. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. (2021) 28:300. 10.1111/jpm.12644 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Santini Z, Jose P, York Cornwell E, Koyanagi A, Nielsen L, Hinrichsen C, et al. . Social disconnectedness, perceived isolation, and symptoms of depression and anxiety among older Americans (NSHAP): a longitudinal mediation analysis. Lancet Public Health. (2020) 5:e62–70. 10.1016/S2468-2667(19)30230-0 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Leigh-Hunt N, Bagguley D, Bash K, Turner V, Turnbull S, Valtorta N, et al. . An overview of systematic reviews on the public health consequences of social isolation and loneliness. Public Health. (2017) 152:157–71. 10.1016/j.puhe.2017.07.035 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources