Many states are seeing a surge in the number of people infected with the novel coronavirus. As the virus was spreading around the world, the focus was on keeping people other risk factors safe. Those who are older and have underlying health conditions.
Now, months in, several states are seeing their largest numbers of single day infections on record. One big reason, according to experts, infections among young people.
"Those 18 to 44-year-olds are being affected at a really high rate," said Erin Bromage, Biology Professor at UMASS Dartmouth. "Social networks, their employment is allowing them to mix at a higher rate and we're especially in Texas, Florida and Arizona, just skyrocketing in that demographic."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Dr. Jay Butler is worried younger people are not taking the virus seriously. But he says they aren't as healthy as they think they are, pointing out the high rate of obesity in young people. They are also at risk of spreading it to those who need to be protected.
"As more of them get infected the chance of them interacting with the vulnerable population increases and hits that vulnerable population and then the inferno just begins," said Bromage.
According to the CDC, although the risks rise with age, there is no clear age cutoff for higher or lower risks.
