Younger Americans eager to return to their social lives are increasingly responsible for the spread of the coronavirus, risking their own health and that of their family and friends, according to what health experts say is the mistaken impression that the viruses cannot harm them.
Health departments across the country report that younger people represent a higher proportion of the total number of people infected with the virus. The highest infection rates among youth occur both in states that are controlling their outbreaks and in those that are not.
“In these trends, we are seeing the impact of our collective decisions. We are jeopardizing what we’ve achieved as a state, “Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman said Friday, noting an increase in hospitalizations among people ages 20-39.”[T]The actions that each of us take now will determine what will happen next. ”
As of early June, only 10 percent of those who tested positive in Rhode Island were in their 20s. By the end of the month, that share had doubled. The average age of a positive Rhode Islander dropped from 47.5 years to 39.2 years in one week.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) said this week that the percentage of those under 35 who test positive for the virus is now 84 percent higher than that of those over 35.
In New Mexico, according to state health data, 44 percent of those who test positive for the virus are under the age of 30. In Illinois, there are more infections among people ages 20-29 than among any other age group. In California, those in their 20s and 30s are the largest cohort of cases, closely followed by people in their 30s and 30s.
“There is a feeling that a lot of young people, you are young, you think you are invincible,” said the Governor of California. Gavin newsom
Gavin Newsom California Governor Says Orange County Can’t Reopen Schools Days After Vote to Reopen Watch Live: CA Gov Newsom Offers Coronavirus Updates California Churches Sue Governor for Ban on Singing MORE (D) said at a press conference on June 24. “That may be a selfish mindset.”
There are also signs that even children are vulnerable to the disease. More than 10 percent of confirmed cases in Arizona, Washington and Tennessee are among those under the age of 20, a Bloomberg analysis found.
Public health experts believe younger people may be under the impression that coronavirus cannot harm them, after early signs showed that the virus was less likely to produce serious results among young adults. After months of disruptive crashes, they may be more interested in returning to a normal appearance than continuing to make the sacrifices necessary to control the virus.
But although younger people are less at risk than older people, they are not immune. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that about 3,000 people in the United States under the age of 45 have died from COVID-19.
“One of the good news in this pandemic is that, fortunately, younger people are at lower risk of serious illness, hospitalization, and death from [COVID-19]. But the risk is not zero, “said Richard Besser, a former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who now runs the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The risk extends beyond death, too. Preliminary studies have also hinted at the potential for long-term damage to the hearts, lungs, and brains of those who survive the disease.
Public health officials are increasingly addressing their concerns specifically to youth.
“You must be responsible for yourself, but also a social responsibility that you are infecting yourself is not just you in a vacuum. You’re spreading the pandemic. ” Anthony Fauci
Anthony FauciHillicon Valley: Russian hackers are back in the spotlight with vaccine investigation attack | Twitter says 130 accounts targeted in this week’s cyber attack | Four Dismissed, Dozens Suspended in CBP Investigation of Racist and Sexist Facebook Groups Overnight Health Care: White House Blocks CDC Director from Testifying Before House Panel | Fauci urges action on the masks | The administration document says counties in the ‘red zone’ should close bars, gyms that the White House prevents the CDC director from testifying before the House panel about reopening schools., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Thursday, addressing youth in an interview with the Facebook CEO. Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Elliot ZuckerbergHillicon Valley: Russian hackers are back in the spotlight with vaccine investigation attack | Twitter says 130 accounts targeted in this week’s cyber attack | Four Dismissed, Dozens Suspended in CBP Investigation of Racist and Sexist Facebook Groups Democrats scold Facebook for climate misinformation 12:30 Hill Report – Presented by Facebook – Public debate over facial masks increases MORE.
What worries public health experts more than a sudden increase in death among young people is that infected young people, who don’t even know it, are at risk of becoming vectors of transmission. While they may not experience the worst symptoms of COVID-19, they can expose parents, grandparents, even friends or family who may have the underlying conditions that contribute to more serious illness.
“Young people don’t just stay with young people. Young people go home with older relatives who may be at higher risk, due to medical problems or simply because of their age, “Besser said.
In response to the growing number of infected younger people, some areas have closed bars and restaurants once again, hoping to drive younger people out of the densely populated facilities where transmission may take place.
In his letter, Hogan of Maryland warned local officials to crack down on establishments that violate an executive order he issued requiring social distancing in food establishments.
“At least 12 states have already moved to re-close bars and restaurants, we don’t want us to force ourselves to take the same action here in Maryland,” Hogan wrote, urging counties to crack down on mocking businesses. “Our health and continued economic recovery depend on the active and aggressive local application of these critical public health measures.”
Even with bars closed in many parts of the country, health officials are tracking clusters of cases to parties at home, where dozens of people can be infected by a single person who is sick. In the past few weeks, health officials in Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Oregon have identified home parties as the sources of large-scale transmission.
House parties show that government restrictions on eliminating the virus only work if residents comply. Those who claim to abide by the burdensome rules, be it limits on crowd size or wearing masks in public, remind another group whose actions put public health at risk, smokers.
“Some of that reminds me of the discussion about secondhand smoke,” Besser said. “When smokers used to say, ‘Hi, I have a right to smoke,’ and we say, ‘Well, you’re actually putting other people at risk.’ “
.
