KUALA LUMPUR, August 19 — The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Covid-19 cases are increasingly being detected in individuals aged between 20 and 40 who don’t know they are infected, CNBC reported.
WHO’s analysis of six million infections between February 24 and July 12 found that the share of people aged 15 to 24 years who had contracted coronavirus rose to 15 per cent from 4.5 per cent.
WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, Dr Takeshi Kasai, said during a news briefing that most young individuals who get infected with coronavirus either show no symptoms or only develop mild symptoms.
“This increases the risk of spillovers to the most vulnerable—the elderly, the sick, people in long-term care, people who live-in densely populated urban areas, and rural areas with limited health care,” Kasai said.
The Guardian previously reported that individuals aged between 20 to 39 account for up to 40 per cent of new coronavirus cases in France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, and Netherlands, unlike the early months of the pandemic in March and April whereby the biggest proportion of the cases reported were among older people.
CNBC reported United States vice president Mike Pence as saying that in June, about half of the country’s new Covid-19 cases were seen among those under the age of 35, especially in Florida and Texas.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the leading US expert on infectious diseases, reportedly said that he has never seen a single virus having such a wide range of symptoms.
“Some people have no symptoms, while some get mild symptoms, and some get symptoms enough to put them at home for a few days. Some are in bed for weeks and have symptoms even after they recover, others go to the hospital, some require oxygen, some require intensive care, some get intubated, and some die,” Dr Fauci was quoted saying.
State health officials in the US said that more young people are ignoring social distancing measures, hence are getting infected at a higher rate.
Dr Fauci urged young people to continue to socially distance, wear masks and avoid crowds as asymptomatic people could spread the virus too.