While immune memory may provide older individuals greater protection against certain disease states in comparison to younger people due to disease strains in circulation during their youth, it has yet to be seen if this offers any form of protection against COVID-19. However, what is very clear is the vulnerability of older individuals to coronavirus infection with poorer outcomes. The hypothesis for this increased susceptibility deals with the impairment of immune system function of defense against foreign bodies with age. This gradual impairment of the immune system is known as immunosenescence and has been seen in older people in response to other infections. For instance there is enhanced viral replication of influenza due to an impairment of type 1 IFN response and in older adults the same impaired IFN response is seen with flu vaccines. On top of the naturally weaker type 1 IFN response in older individuals, the coronavirus was found to be a suppressor of the type 1 IFN response further increasing vulnerability to COVID-19. As a result of such factors, vaccines may have to be adjusted for specific populations like the elderly for the sake of efficacy.