A timely call to establish an international convention on the rights of older people

John E Ataguba,David E Bloom,Andrew J Scott

doi:10.1016/s2666-7568(21)00178-1

Abstract

Global pandemics inevitably reveal many vulnerabilities in national and global health systems, as well as society more broadly.1 The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the importance of public health, the value of therapeutic medicine, and the power of vaccines. The pandemic has also made apparent stark inequities in access to testing, treatment, and vaccines.2

Highlights

Global pandemics inevitably reveal many vulnerabilities in national and global health systems, as well as society more broadly.[1]
The fact that COVID-19 mortality mirrors all-cause mortality has emphasised the vulnerability of older people across the world, from low-income to highincome countries.[3]
COVID-19 is the first pandemic to occur in a world in which the population aged 65 years and older outnumbers that aged younger than 5 years, highlighting three points

Summary

Introduction

Global pandemics inevitably reveal many vulnerabilities in national and global health systems, as well as society more broadly.[1]. The proportion of the population aged 65 years and older will increase from 9% in 2020 to 16% by 2050.4 This rise is not restricted to high-income countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has starkly revealed a considerable gap in the current global institutional architecture.

Results

Conclusion