- The novel coronavirus is largely spread by younger people, many of whom are unaware that they are infected, according to the World Health Organization.
- “People in their 20s, 30s and 40s are increasingly driving the spread. Many are unaware that they are infected. This increases the risk of spillovers for the more vulnerable,” a WHO official said Tuesday.
- Many European countries have taken a sharp uptick in recent weeks in cases of coronavirus because social distancing measures were relaxed and national lockdowns were granted.
- Visit the Business Insider website for more stories.
The coronavirus is largely spread by younger people, many of whom are unaware that they are infected, according to the World Health Organization.
WHO officials said Tuesday that the proportion of young people infected with the virus had gone up and continued to go up and that they were putting parents and other vulnerable groups at risk.
“The epidemic is changing,” WHO’s Western Pacific regional director, Takeshi Kasai, said in a virtual briefing in comments reported by Reuters.
“People in their 20s, 30s and 40s are increasingly driving the spread,” he said. “Many people are unaware that they are infected. This increases the risk of spillovers to the more vulnerable.”
At-risk groups include the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions.
Many European countries have taken sharp upticks in recent weeks in cases of coronavirus because social distance measures were relaxed and national lockdowns were granted.
Greece, Croatia and Turkey could be the last countries to be added to the UK’s quarantine list, according to a Sky report, as they have included upticks in COVID-19 cases.
The move would require British holidaymakers to be quarantined for 14 days when they return from the countries. Countries that have been added to the UK quarantine list in recent weeks include France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Amid the threat of such travel restrictions, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last week that countries should try to tackle the pandemic by suppressing the virus, as countries such as Vietnam and New Zealand have done with relatively high success.
“My message is crystal clear: suppress, suppress, suppress the virus,” he said in comments reported by The Independent news website.
“If we effectively suppress the virus, we can safely open up societies.”
