**9. Groups at risk for stigma and xenophobia associated with COVID-19**

People over the age of 65 suffer from the disease more severely due to the effect of other existing medical diseases. With the spread of the coronavirus and growing fear and anxiety, especially among older adults, the issue of coronavirus stigma in older

*Perspective Chapter: Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 – Stigma and Xenophobia DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.101527*

people has become a major social concern. Elderly people are accused of ignoring their own health and public health because they do not comply with protective measures sufficiently [64]. Disregarding their own will, they are the target of more prohibitive measures, and ageism has been exacerbated during this pandemic. The hypothesis that older people are more likely to have COVID-19 leads to the fact that people in the community are less likely to contact with older people. This led to the isolation of the elderly. This stigma can weaken social cohesion in the elderly and lead to social isolation among older adults [65]. In the first days of the epidemic, people living in China, even from all Asian countries, foreigners or foreigners were perceived as a possible threat. Refugees were included in the current risk group. Many names that affect the public, from heads of states to officials, made speeches accusing refugees of spreading the virus; discrimination and hate crimes against Mexicans in the USA, Africans in Italy, and refugee groups in Bosnia, Jordan, Singapore, and Greece took place in the press [66]. Health workers who are in close contact with patients may be excluded, and when people around them see them in shopping, in an apartment, or at home, they may exhibit discriminatory behaviors even when necessary physical distance and adequate precautions are taken. In May 2020, 13 humanitarian organizations such as the World Medical Association, Red Crescent, Red Cross and medical associations made a statement to draw attention to and prevent attacks against healthcare workers during the pandemic. In many different countries, from Mexico to India, healthcare workers are being attacked for fear of transmitting COVID [1]. Burnout is more common in healthcare workers who are faced with stigmatization [67].
