Young adults can face severe cases of COVID-19, too
A new analysis of COVID-19 cases in the United States reveals that while older people are at high risk of becoming seriously ill, the disease can hit younger adults hard, too. Early data from China examining the country’s first 44,000 cases had suggested that most severe COVID-19 cases and deaths happen in adults aged 60 or older and those with underlying conditions. But the first snapshot of U.S. cases, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows that 1 in 5 people landing in the hospital are 20 to 44 years old. The CDC analysis, released March 18, covers 2,449 reported cases from February 12 to March 16. Among 508 patients who required hospitalization, 20 percent were 20 to 44 years old. And of 121 people who were admitted to an intensive care unit, 12 percent were in that age group. Severe cases More than half of ICU admissions and deaths out of 2,449 reported U.S. cases of...