Younger people are at risk for serious illness from COVID-19, latest report says
The COVID-19 outbreak has been described as a serious danger to older people, and rightly so. Many of the deaths from the new coronavirus outbreak worldwide have been among people 70 years old and above.
But a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report suggests that nearly 40% of the Americans hospitalized at the time of the report were between the ages of 20 and 50. Numbers are changing fast as the COVID-19 outbreak spreads across the country, but the report’s findings are clear: Younger people must take this outbreak seriously, even if they feel healthy and immune to its effects.
The most important thing you can do to prevent the spread of this deadly virus is practice social distancing. That means staying home if your job allows it, except for necessary trips for groceries or other essentials. And when you go out, you should stay six feet away from others, avoid contact and wash your hands regularly and vigorously.
“Probably nobody had heard of (social distancing) two weeks ago, now everyone’s talking about it. It really works,” Dr. Robert Citronberg, director of infectious diseases at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL, told reporters on Wednesday. “It starts working right away. It starts working from the first day that you do it. … That’s clearly the most important thing we can do to curb this epidemic right now. … But it really only works if we can get everyone to participate.”
That’s why the governors of both Illinois and Wisconsin have called on people to call off gatherings of more than 10 people.
“If they have to be in close contact with others, it is essential that they try to keep some distance. We are recommending six feet at a minimum,” Dr. Nkem Iroegbu, chief medical officer at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI, told reporters on Wednesday.”(They should call) their health care provider with questions as opposed to showing up to the emergency department if they feel that they have symptoms.”
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About the Author
Mike Riopell, health enews contributor, is a media relations coordinator with Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care. He previously worked as a reporter and editor covering politics and government for the Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald and Bloomington Pantagraph, among others. He enjoys bicycles, home repair, flannel shirts and being outside.
