As coronavirus cases in the US increase. In the US, officials report that many of the new infections occur in young adults.
“We are seeing more people test positive for those under 35, particularly in our conversations with leaders in Florida and Texas,” Vice President Mike Pence said in a call with the governors on Monday, according to ABC News.
From the start of the pandemic through May 30, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the average age of confirmed patients in the US USA She was 48 years old. But in some southern and western states, that has begun to decline, authorities say.
In Florida, the average age of coronavirus patients fell from 65 in March to 37 last week, according to the Orlando Sentinel. In Arizona, the number of new cases of coronavirus is growing twice as fast between the ages of 20 and 44 as those older than 65. South Carolina, meanwhile, reported a 413% increase in new cases among people ages 21-30.
The same is true in Texas, where Governor Gregg Abbot said last week that residents under the age of 30 were testing positive at a higher rate than before. Minnesota has also seen its average age of coronavirus patients drop from 44 to 40.
An alarming number of cases among young people.
Shoppers queue in front of a grocery store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on March 17, 2020.
Melinda Deslatte / AP
The 50 states have alleviated at least some of the social distancing measures they implemented in April.
In general, official figures reflect infections contracted approximately two to three weeks before, as the virus is incubated for two to two weeks, then it takes other days for test results to be processed and reported to a patient and health authorities.
Therefore, the precipitous increase in cases in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas may be a consequence of the reopening, which began in mid-May. Authorities in most of those states have reported that cases of COVID-19 increase among the younger age groups.
In Arizona, the 20-44 age group now accounts for 48% of cases.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said last week that many people with positive results in parts of his state are in their 30s. In Miami-Dade County (where Miami is), for example, the average age of people with positive coronavirus tests was 33. In Orange County (where Orlando is), it was 29.
A waiter with a face mask and gloves prepares drinks at Eight Row Flint in Houston, Texas on May 22, 2020.
Mark Felix / AFP via Getty Images
Governor Abbott also said last week that most of the people who tested positive in some Texas counties were under the age of 30, and that the groups were “typically the result of people going to bar-type settings.” That’s also true in Louisiana, where more than 100 cases were tied to a bar in Baton Rouge.
The South Carolina state health department reported that since April 4, there has been a 966.1% increase in coronavirus cases among the 11-20 year age group.
What is causing this increase?
Public health experts have some possible explanations for this trend. On the one hand, the tests have become more accessible, so young people with milder cases could be taking advantage of that.
The World Health Organization recommends that countries aim to evaluate one in 1,000 residents each week. But due to delays and shortages of supplies, the US USA They had performed less than 2,000 tests (0.005 tests per 1,000 people) as of March 8. This month, the country finally met the WHO suggested testing rate: June 1-8, the US. USA 3.2 million tests, almost 10 per 1,000 people.
Because young people tend to have milder cases, they are more likely to choose to recover at home and not seek proof. However, increased access to evidence could change that.
Physician John Jones tests administrative assistant Morgan Bassin for coronavirus at One Medical in Scottsdale, Arizona, on June 17, 2020.
Courtney Pedroza / Reuters
Another theory is that young people ignore social distancing, since they perceive the virus as a minor threat. An April Stanford study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, found that in a group of about 21,000 respondents of all ages, 39.8% did not fully meet social distancing measures. Among people between 18 and 31 years old, that portion was 52.4%.
Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO health emergencies program, said Monday that the increase in cases among young adults could “reflect the fact that younger people are more mobile and are going out and taking advantage of the reduction in movement restrictions. “
“Many countries have experienced clusters of disease or increases after reducing orders to stay home or allowing population mobility to occur,” he added.
Even if young people don’t get that sick, they can make others sick
Although young people are more likely to develop mild cases than older people, they can still transmit the virus to those who are more vulnerable.
“First they get infected, then they go home, and then they infect the elderly,” Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Axios. “Older people have the complications and then go to hospitals. The death rate is always several weeks behind the infection rate.”
And, of course, younger people are not immune to the coronavirus. Hospitalizations among young adults are increasing in some parts of Arizona and Florida.
Dr. Zafia Anklesaria, co-director of the Intensive Care Unit at CommonSpirit Dignity Health California Hospital Medical Center, cares for a COVID-19 patient in Los Angeles, California on May 18, 2020.
Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
In Florida, most hospitalized patients were in their 70s and 80s at the start of the pandemic, but now patients are in their 40s and 50s, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Dr. Theresa Cullen, director of health for Pima County, Arizona (where Tucson is), warned that the highest rates of infection drain state resources, regardless of who gets sick.
“We are seeing an increase in hospitalizations consistent with the frequency of the disease,” he said, according to the local KOLD news station. “There are people in the ICU in their 20s, 30s and 40s.”
“In Arizona, I think we have a tough two weeks ahead of us,” Cullen added.
