A world without elderly people

A doctor in France recently made the most haunting comment, saying that the coronavirus is "extinguishing the elderly like candles."

Since the start of the pandemic, more than 570 residents at nursing homes have died in eastern France and two-thirds of such facilities have reportedly been hit by the virus. Up until a few days ago, one in three victims in Spain had been a nursing home resident. According to the statistics - from scientists and people on the ground - 27 percent of Covid-19 victims are aged 85 and over.

Greek spokesman and infectious diseases expert Sotiris Tsiodras recently quoted a colleague abroad as saying that the world is making too much of a fuss about a few old and infirm people. He decided to respond to this comment publicly, and did not try to hide what he felt either: "The miracle of medicine in 2020 is that it has lengthened the lives of...