I am a scientist, but I don’t have access to all COVID-19 data distributed to Public Health officials. Still, my experience as a doctor caring for older adults in hospitals, nursing homes and congregate living facilities allows me to draw conclusion from past observations.

As well as seeing “hotspots” of coronavirus amongst seniors, it is in prisons and meat packing plants.

My conclusions from observations is twofold: (1) Older adults are not only more susceptible because of co-morbidities, but also because they have limited mobility and less ability to physically expand targeted lungs; (2) Those in prison and meat packing plants are obviously in closer proximity to each other, getting a higher viral dose when someone coughs or sneezes.

Possible solutions:

– Public Health needs to focus on these institutes to assure appropriate PPEs, separation, distancing and isolation;

– Daily testing (not just temperature screening) of anyone entering, to make sure even potential carriers are not contaminating the premises;

– Every hospital, nursing home, senior living facility, prison and meat packing plant is a “hotspot” of concentrated virus. There are other breeding grounds yet to be found. But testing is limited. The logical approach is to focus urgently on these areas.

Hit the “hotspots” and aggressively test.

Gene Uzawa Dorio, M.D., is a geriatric house-call physician who serves as president of the Los Angeles County Commission for Older Adults and Assemblyman to the California Senior Legislature. He has practiced in the Santa Clarita Valley for 32 years.