Data Suggest Young People Spread COVID-19 to Older Adults

Analysis from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on COVID-19 has determined that 20-year-olds accounted for the largest share of new confirmed cases in the United States — more than 20 percent — according to National Public Radio . University of California, San Francisco Professor Kirsten Bibbens-Domingo said the reopening of the country essentially gave younger people the responsibility of resuming employment, while the allure of summertime boosted socializing among this age group. This combined with an elevation in risk-taking among young adults, which fed into the escalation of infections among older adults. The CDC first noted in the Southern states a spike in cases among young adults, and then a jump in cases among both that age group and in adults aged 60+ within a week or two weeks. The latter demographic is much more likely to be hospitalized and die from COVID-19. Adding to the problem is that young adults have less tendency to be symptomatic of the virus.