People are celebrating on a rooftop in Kips Bay as the city continues Phase 4 from reopening due to restrictions imposed to slow down the spread of coronavirus on August 1, 2020 in New York City.
Noam Galai | Getty Images
The World Health Organization warned Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic is now being waged by people in their 20s, 30s and 40s who do not know they are infected.
Most of the young people either never developed symptoms or had mild symptoms, said Dr Takeshi Kasai, the WHO’s regional director for the Western Pacific, in a news release. “This increases the risk of spillovers to the most vulnerable: the elderly, the sick, people in long-term care, people living in densely populated urban areas” and rural areas with limited health care.
Kasai said world leaders and the public need to “double efforts” to stop the virus from moving into vulnerable communities. “We are encouraged to see that many countries in the region are already adopting new tactics that help minimize the social and economic consequences of Covid-19 and show how we can deal with it in the coming time, “he said.
Scientists are still learning why the disease develops into a serious illness in some individuals but not others, as in some young people.
The coronavirus infected nearly a million people on Tuesday and killed at least 774,600, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Earlier this month, the WHO published an analysis of 6 million infections between February 24 and July 12 and found that the proportion of people between 15 and 24 increased to 15% from 4.5%.
In the US, state health officials say more young people are ignoring social distance measures and contracting the virus at a higher rate. Vice President Mike Pence warned in June that roughly half of the new cases in the U.S. at the time were people under the age of 35, particularly in Florida and Texas.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading expert, said doctors were seeing “more and more” complications with Covid-19 in young people. He urged young Americans not to take the coronavirus lightly, and said that by doing so, the pandemic could spread.
“You have to take responsibility for yourself, but also a social responsibility that you are infected not only you in a vacuum. You are propagating the pandemic,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in an interview on July 16th.
Fauci also said he had never seen a single virus with such a wide range of symptoms.
Some people have no symptoms, “some get mild symptoms and some get symptoms enough to keep them at home for a few days. Some sit in bed for weeks and have symptoms, even after they have recovered, others go to the hospital, “Some need oxygen, some require intensive care, some are intubated and some die,” he said on June 23.
Even though cases are high in the US and other parts of the world, there is still a chance to bring the virus under control, the WHO said.
The WHO recommends that people wear masks as a way to slow down the spread of the virus. The agency also recommends that people wash their hands regularly, keep their distance from others and avoid going to crowded places. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention, but call ahead as soon as possible and follow the instructions of your local health authority, the WHO said.
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