Older adults: panoramic view on the COVID-19 vaccination

Andryukov, Boris G; Besednova, Natalya N

In December 2020, COVID-19 vaccination started in many countries, with which the world community hopes to stop the further spread of the current pandemic. More than 90% of sick and deceased patients belong to the category of older adults (65 years and older). This category of the population is most vulnerable to infectious diseases, so vaccination is the most effective preventive strategy, the need for which for older adults is indisputable. Here we briefly summarize information about age-related changes in the immune system and present current data on their impact on the formation of the immune response to vaccination. Older age is accompanied by the process of biological aging accompanied by involution of the immune system with increased susceptibility to infections and a decrease in the effect of immunization. Therefore, in the ongoing mass COVID-19 vaccination, the older adults are a growing public health concern. The authors provide an overview of the various types of COVID-19 vaccines approved for mass immunization of the population by the end of 2020, including older adults, as well as an overview of strategies and platforms to improve the effectiveness of vaccination of this population. In the final part, the authors propose for discussion a system for assessing the safety and monitoring the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines for the older adults.