AGE IS NOT THE TOP RISK FACTOR. Age has been cited as the top risk factor for COVID-19. On paper that is true – people over 60 are many times more likely to have a bad outcome. But that’s not because of the passing of the years. It’s because, as we get older, we accumulate damage. Damage to DNA, damage to the immune system, damage to mitochondria (the tiny ‘power plants’ in almost every cell). This damage increases vulnerability to both illness and the severity of that illness.