Younger people may be helping spread of COVID-19: Experts

#Canada; #YoungPeople; #Coronavirus; #isolation; #SocialDistancing
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Ottawa, Apr 1 (Canadian-Media): One in three of all reported COVID-19 cases  in Canada under the age of 40 could be unknowingly contributing to increase in the spread of the virus in Canada and around the world, said the experts, media reports said.

Coronavirus. Image credit: Twitter handle

According to the epidemiological data provided by Public Health Agency of Canada, out of the total of 4,186 COVID-19 cases, in Canada 29 percent are aged 20 to 39 and four percent are under 19.

Recently Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said Sunday about 12 percent of hospitalized cases due to COVID-19 was represented by people under 40. This indicates that younger age groups are also experiencing illness severe enough to require hospitalization.

1/2 In the March 28th #COVID19 media availability I misspoke on the percentage of hospitalised cases <40 years of age. The correct figure is that approximately 12% of those hospitalised are <40 years of age. Apologies.

— Dr. Theresa Tam (@CPHO_Canada) March 29, 2020

"Twelve per cent is still a significant number that should make any younger person stop and pause to recognize that this represents a threat not only to elder members of our society, but to everyone," said Steven Hoffman, director of the Global Strategy Lab and a global health law professor at York University and added that young people should pay attention to that figure.

Communicating to the younger people that their ignoring the rules of social distancing and self-isolation is not invincible is a challenge, said Hoffman but  by ignoring these measures to contain the virus, the young people can devastatingly impact specially older people they come in contact with.
 
Dr. Raywat Deonandan, a global health epidemiologist and an associate professor at the University of Ottawa said that it is important for younger people to remember the fact that we have not built any immunity to this new coronavirus since we have never faced it before.

"Everybody is susceptible," he said. "Everybody."