Coronavirus Myth Busted: Young Adults Not Spared By COVID-19

We have been told that coronavirus is riskier to older adults and those with underlying health conditions. But, that doesn’t mean that the deadly virus spares the youth. Young people can become seriously ill from COVID-19 and the CDC reported that the younger adults are not invincible.

“Although older people are hardest hit, younger people are not spared. Data from many countries clearly show that people under 50 make up a significant proportion of patients requiring hospitalization,” WeForum quoted WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s press statement.

“Today I have a message for young people: You are not invincible, this virus could put you in hospital for weeks or even kill you. Even if you don’t get sick the choices you make about where you go could be the difference between life and death for someone else,” he said.

Here’s everything you need to know

1. Evidence shows that individuals under 50 accounts to a significant proportion of patients needing hospitalization
2. Amongst the first-reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S., nearly 40% of them that needed hospitalization were young adults aged 20-54, The Verge mentioned CDC’s data.
3. Several stories about young people under 50 experiencing serious symptoms and fatality are doing the rounds on social media pages, including the two 29-year-old healthcare workers in Wuhan who got seriously ill.
4. The director of the World Health Organization has warned young people against complacency in the COVID-19 pandemic, mentioned WeForum.
5. COVID-19 can sicken or kill the young population as well. So, they are advised to avoid mingling and spreading it to the more vulnerable.
6. The WHO has shifted to recommending ‘physical distance’ rather than social distancing to help prevent a community spread of the virus.
7. Although the risk of dying from the coronavirus increases drastically with age, the CDC data emphasizes that young people aren’t immune to getting seriously ill.
8. Chronic conditions like diabetes can also affect young people. This can make it more difficult for them to recover from COVID-19.

Young people who do not show any symptoms and feel perfectly healthy should also take the pandemic situation seriously since they can spread the virus anyway.

“Don’t get the attitude, ‘Well, I’m young, I’m invulnerable’. You don’t want to put your loved ones at risk, particularly the ones who are elderly and the ones who have compromised conditions. We can’t do this without the young people cooperating. Please cooperate with us,” The Verge quoted Anthony Fauci, who is the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.