Forty-nine new cases of COVID-19 were found in this age group during the week of August 2-8, making it the province’s largest increase in any age group in any week since the onset of the pandemic. More than half of these new cases were identified in a narrow demographic of this group: 18- and 19-year-olds.
Amy Westbrook, director of the division’s public health division for the province, said it was difficult to determine exactly why cases in the younger age group arose last week.
More than 60% of the province’s total cases occurred last month, so it “makes sense” that COVID-19 cases increased. But, Westbrook said, it’s about when a large number of them were found in a specific age cohort.
The province is most concerned about 18- and 19-year-olds, as they made up about 56% of the new cases found in those between 6-19 years old. The county groups teens with children because it follows age groups.
“They do more than adults, in terms of transfer,” Westbrook said, as they belong to the workforce and attend social gatherings. She encourages them to be careful and follow safety guidelines.
“Everyone across the spectrum has a role and a responsibility to prevent and control their own individual health (s) in order to protect the health of others,” she said.
Nationwide, about 12% of the total cases can be found in the cohort of 6 to 19 year olds. In St. Louis County has that figure slightly higher, with about 16% of the province’s total 600 cases in the younger age group, according to the county’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Younger, healthier people can more easily fight COVID-19 and prevent hospitalization. And some studies have shown that people under the age of 10 are less likely to spread the virus or become infected, Westbrook said.
“Children older than 10 seem to act more than adults, in terms of transmission and distribution,” she said.
However, this younger age group probably lives with older people, whether it is their parents, caregivers and / or grandparents – people who are more likely to suffer from adverse symptoms.
Although the county has not determined if the virus is spread through multi-generational households, Westbrook said it is possible that younger people could transmit the virus to older members of their households.
“If there are multi-generational households, some of those people in that household could be at a higher risk of morbidity and worse disease,” she said.
Westbrook pointed out that although a large percentage of the county’s cases are in the 6-19 and 20-29 age groups, the median age of people who are hospitalized or dying is tens of years older.
As of Wednesday, the median age for people hospitalized due to the virus is 73 years old, while the median age of people dying from the virus is 84 years old.
The new cases among children and teens come on the heels of a new national report that found cases of children being shot in the United States in July, with the number of cases increasing by 40%.
And with the restart of school in a few weeks and school districts in the midst of newly opened decisions, Westbrook called the timing of the new cases “regrettable.”
“It’s unfortunate that we see this increase as schools … make these decisions for our young people,” she said.
