Originally Posted by
bobbytables
The report from which Gov. Cuomo was quoting in that article "included no information about whether patients of any age had underlying risk factors, such as a chronic illness or a compromised immune system. So, it is impossible to determine whether the younger patients who were hospitalized were more susceptible to serious infection than most others in their age group."
- quoted portion from
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/h...ng-people.html
Various experts do speculate that US young people may be at higher risk due to preconditions such as smoking, being obese, and a more free spirit mentality compared to young people in East Asia.
It is not just NY. Here a UCSF report
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/03/41...em-experts-sayCoronavirus Is Sickening Young Adults and Spreading Through Them, Experts Say
“Everybody is capable of having a severe form of this disease. Every age group can end up in the hospital,” said Bibbins-Domingo. In fact, in the reports from China, the “mild” cases encompassed a range of severity, from no symptoms to pneumonia.
A new report from the CDC confirms that COVID-19 does not spare millennials and Gen Z. Among the first 4,226 cases in the U.S., more than half of patients who were hospitalized were under the age of 65, and one in five were aged 20 to 44.
Chin-Hong, said the report was “a wake-up call that it can happen to all ages,” and that he had already seen young and critically ill patients at UCSF. “They had no medical risk factors, no past medical history, and went straight into the ICU,” he said.
In California, the majority of confirmed cases so far have been in people younger than 50.
While it’s true that younger people are less likely to die from the illness, they could still require the ventilators and ICU beds that are in short supply.
Bibbins-Domingo worries that “we have emphasized the harmful effects in older adults, and so older adults are taking precautions, while younger adults are not taking precautions.”
“It’s important that younger adults understand that they are part of the solution,” she said.
Gen Z may be driving transmission
If the packed spring break beaches are any indication, younger adults are feeling less vulnerable to COVID-19 and many are not heeding the calls for social distancing. Not only are they risking their own health, they could be a major factor driving transmission rates, said Bibbins-Domingo.
And, here in California:
Coronavirus Update: Gov. Newsom Says 50% Of State’s COVID-19 Cases Aged 18-49
So, there are two high risk groups in the U.S. Older adults, and younger ones who have the preconditions including possibly smoking history, obese, and more free spirit mentality compared to East Asian youths.