Informal caregiving during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a representative, population-based study during the second wave of the pandemic in Germany.

While the prevalence of informal caregivers remained unchanged, the caregiving situation worsened among long-term caregivers. Infection rates among caregivers were low, but they perceived themselves and their care recipients to be endangered. Future research and policy should focus more on this vulnerable group during a health crisis, primarily on long-term caregivers, in order to effectively support them in their care provision for the high risk group of older care recipients.