One thing most people understand about the novel coronavirus that continues to spread around the country is that older people – primarily those older than 65 – and those with compromised immune systems are most susceptible to virus.
However, evidence from health officials shows the virus has effects on people of all ages and, in some cases, as in Tennessee, it is disproportionately affecting young people. On Wednesday, Hamilton County health officials announced the county’s first child death due to coronavirus.
In Tennessee, where there were 2,239 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of Tuesday afternoon, more than 25% of people who had tested positive (566) were in their 20s and 15% (346) were in their 30s.
The Georgia Department of Public Health has not been releasing the specific ages of confirmed cases, but similar trends are showing up there.
In Wednesday’s report, of the 4,638 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Georgia, 58% of people were between 18 and 59 years old. Only 35% were confirmed to be over 60 years old.