Since the COVID-19 outbreak began in force, there’s been a sense that young adults don’t have much to worry about in terms of their own health—that, even if they got sick, it wouldn’t be much worse than the seasonal flu.
New data out of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) taps the brakes on that assumption. So far in the U.S., according to the CDC, adults aged 20 to 44 have accounted for about 20% of confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations, and 12% of confirmed ICU admissions. Even relatively young adults, the data suggest, need to take this virus seriously.
That message is important, but it must also be conveyed with nuance. Elderly adults still make up the majority of COVID-19 ICU admissions and deaths in the U.S., and their demographic faces the highest risk of infection. That’s not to say millennials shouldn’t be cautious—but they also shouldn’t panic.
It may feel like the COVID-19 outbreak has been going on forever, but it’s still early days for research. Only about 4,200 COVID-19 cases in the U.S. had been reported to the CDC as of March 16, which is almost certainly an underestimate, due to a lack of wide-scale testing. Further, the agency based its new report on just the 2,500 of those for which they had age information. Only about 500 patients were known to have been hospitalized, 120 had been sent to the ICU and 44 had died. In short, the demographic picture of this outbreak is very much still coming together.
Younger adults must take this virus seriously and stay home as much as possible, but doing so is as much about the greater good as it is their own sake. “We need a full societal commitment to this,” says University of Pennsylvania pulmonologist Dr. George Anesi. “Life is going to look different for a while, and that’s important to be able to turn the tide on this.” Read more here.
TODAY’S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
In the U.S., where more cities are bracing for possible shelter-in-place orders, the consequences of social distancing are growing more apparent. Small businesses and workers around the country are struggling to compensate for closures, even after the Trump Administration passed a law meant to alleviate some of these issues. The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose by 70,000 last week, according to the U.S. Labor Department.
On the testing front, there are signs of hope, with more companies pledging to bring products to the market. Trump also announced that he directed the Navy to dispatch hospital ships to the coasts to help ease burdens on the U.S. health care system—but even once they arrive, they’ll be used to care for patients with ailments other than COVID-19.
Here’s where COVID-19 has spread in the U.S. so far:
There are more than 230,000 COVID-19 cases worldwide as of the afternoon of March 19, and the death toll has risen above 9,000. As countries around the world reckon with the virus’ impact—and health authorities call for global cooperation —U.S. President Donald Trump at a Thursday press briefing blamed COVID-19’s spread on China. “The world is paying a very big price for what they did,” Trump said, blaming the country for failing to share information necessary to contain the virus. Trump’s remarks came on the same day that Wuhan and its surrounding province, for the first time since the outbreak began, reported no new local transmissions of the virus.
Here are all the countries that have reported at least one COVID-19 case:
All numbers are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of March 18, 8 PM eastern time.
TIME SPECIAL REPORT ON THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
When the world learned about a then-nameless novel coronavirus on the last day of 2019, few could have predicted how it would shape the year about to begin. In less than three months, that disease, COVID-19, has claimed more than 8,000 lives and changed millions more. Countries and regions around the world have taken unprecedented actions, from citywide lockdowns and mass quarantines to sweeping travel and business restrictions.
The latest issue of TIME explores our strange new normal—in China, where COVID-19 still casts a long shadow; in Europe, where health systems are struggling to weather extraordinary challenges; and in the U.S., where a mismanaged political response lulled many into a sense of security now shattered by school and work closures, lost wages and social separation. In words and images, these stories detail the disparate responses— medical, technical and personal —required to slow and halt COVID-19, and, most important, how we can all emerge on the other side.
Why Is It So Easy for Pro Athletes to Get COVID-19 Testing?
Even after weeks of constant news about the difficulty of finding COVID-19 testing, a peculiar number of NBA players have gotten screened for coronavirus with seemingly no trouble, as TIME senior sports writer Sean Gregory reports in his piece about the equity of access. Read more here.
And When Will It Be Easy for Me to Get Tested?
Hopefully soon, reports TIME senior health writer Alice Park. At-home testing company Everlywell told Park it will begin offering a hotly anticipated COVID-19 test on March 23. Read more here.
Why Millions Aren’t Eligible for Paid Leave During a Pandemic
Right now, the best thing Americans can do for public health is stay home. But since millions of Americans do not get paid leave, that direction isn’t equally attainable for everyone—even after the Trump Administration passed a law designed to help. Read more here.
The Technology That Could Halt COVID-19
In many ways, COVID-19 is a uniquely modern pandemic—and modern-day technology could be what it takes to slow this outbreak and prevent future ones. Read more here.
Love in the Age of Coronavirus
Couples affected by COVID-19 have had to make impossible choices between quarantine and care. “We hand-sanitize and hold hands,” a coronavirus patient’s wife told TIME senior health writer Mandy Oaklander. Read more here.
Lessons from the Coronavirus ‘Future’
The U.S. may be in a strange new world of social distancing, but countries across the ocean have already been here for weeks—and their residents have wisdom to share. Read more here.
West Virginia Almost Lost Its First COVID-19 Patient’s Tests
When James Vigil was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 17, he became the first confirmed patient in West Virginia—and brought the U.S. count to all 50 states. But his road to getting results was anything but smooth. Read more here.
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