Coronavirus Dangerous For Younger People Too: Data From Italy And US

All this while, when the Internet is flooded with FAQs related to coronavirus, you might have come across the information that people above 60 are the high-risk age group as the infection is more likely to turn severe to fatal among them, particularly if they have underlying medical conditions. However, evidence from Europe and the US suggests something different- the young population isn't as unaffected by the virus as was earlier believed. Though China reported the infection among mostly elderly population and those with previous health conditions, in Italy and France, younger people seem to fall seriously ill, requiring intensive care after catching the virus.

Key Takeaways:

• In Italy, which has recorded the most number of deaths outside China, almost a quarter of nearly 28,000 patients are between the age group of 19-50, according to a data website Statistica.
• Even in the US, 705 of the 2,500 first coronavirus cases occurred in people between the age group 20-44, according to the Center For Disease Prevention And Control.
• Of the affected youngsters, between 15 to 20 percent eventually ended up in the hospital, around four percent of them who have died.

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“It may have been that the millennial generation, our largest generation, our future generation that will carry us through for the next multiple decades, there may be a disproportional number of infections among that group,” Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said in a press conference on Wednesday. This is the reason why no matter where you live, what your age is, the same level of precautions have to be practised by everyone.

We Don't Know Much About This Virus

There's a lot that we don't know about this virus. While there have been several speculations regarding the nature of coronavirus, we need more time to establish facts. Earlier it was being said that coronavirus cannot survive in higher temperatures, but according to a new WHO report, it can.

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Stop Reckless Behaviour

A three-year-old girl is the youngest coronavirus patient in India, while a newborn baby in London is the youngest coronavirus patient in the world. A 21-year-old Spanish football coach Francisco Garcia is the youngest person to die of coronavirus. These figures are enough to substantiate the fact the coronavirus is equally dangerous for younger people. Even if it affects one in a hundred young people, no one knows who that one person can be. Therefore, it is advised to practice precautions, no matter what.

Clement Chow, a young adult affected by coronavirus tweeted, "I’m young and not high risk, yet I am in the ICU with a very severe case." He had a low-grade fever for a few days and then a bad cough that led to respiratory failure. It turned out to be the coronavirus. He ended up on high flow oxygen in the ICU. When he was admitted to the hospital, he was the only one. A few days later, there were many more young patients with him, Bloomberg reported. So to all the young people, considering coronavirus to be non-fatal might be the biggest mistake you can ever make.

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