@Boris posted:That's the biggest thing with this virus. You can have it & not even know it, then go visit Mom & kill her. Asymptomatic - tell em @MichiganPacker2 tell 'em!! (He's in R&D)
This is older data, but the trend has stayed the same. The elderly are much more likely to die if they get it (about 10X more likely than if they get the flu). Of course, there is a yearly vaccine for the flu that usually provides at least partial protection, so they are probably less likely to get the flu than COVID to begin with. I personally know two people in their 80s that have died from this. There are also two work colleagues who are younger that had this and they are still having some issues months later. These issues aren't life-threatening, but it's not fun to lose your sense of taste or smell for an extended period of time.
Also, 1 out of every 250 people between the ages of 50-59 that gets this dies. The argument from some people is that those people have some underlying condition that predisposes them to a poorer outcome like diabetes, hypertension, or obesity. That's true, but those are people that are likely to live another 15-20 years, not 1 month.
Just wear a mask.