According to several researches, there is a bright spot to the COVID-19 pandemic on its relatively small impact on young people, especially kids. Now that dynamic appears to be changing most especially in Florida.
A month ago, Florida health officials had reported only one death among people younger than 25. Over the next two weeks, four more young people died. Now it is 12, including two deaths in kids younger than 12.
As of June 1, there had been 52 deaths among people aged 25- 44 in the first five months of this pandemic. That number has more than doubled — 106 deaths now among that age group — in slightly more than a month.
State health officials reported three deaths in Pinellas County between the ages of 32 and 47.
“Perfectly healthy people have died of COVID,” said Dr. Jill Roberts, associate professor at USF School of Public Health.
She also pointed out that death is the worst outcome — but there are plenty of other health and financial issues that could result from becoming sick with COVID-19.
“Death is the end point we’re most concerned with, but that’s not the only end point,” said Dr Roberts. “We have young people who’ve gotten sick who are reporting long-lasting health issues. They’re still having trouble breathing. They still had organ failure that occurred.”
“Not to mention the cost of treatment or missing work,” Dr. Roberts said. “If you become sick, you’re not going back to your workplace. Can you afford four weeks before you can get a negative COVID test to go back to work? Can you go without a paycheck for four weeks?”
Dr. Roberts said prevention is still the best medicine — wear a mask when you can’t social distance, especially indoors.
In a related development, Florida reported 12,624 new Coronavirus cases Monday — the second-highest infections in a single day, after Sunday’s record of 15,300 cases — making a total of 282,435 infections and 35 new fatalities to bring the death toll to 4,277.
Central Florida now has 46,281 cases, up 2,292 from a day earlier. There are 936 new cases Orange for 18,937, 384 in Polk for 7,630, 237 in Seminole for 4,466, 275 in Osceola for 4,442, 167 in Volusia for 3,972; 141 in Brevard for 3,510; 128 in Lake for 2,645; and 24 in Sumter for 679.
There are now a total of 282,435 Florida cases confirmed, with 4,277 deaths related to COVID-19, the state health department said.
Last week, the state hit a new high death toll, but its daily fatalities remain far lower than the numbers seen in New York when it was the pandemic’s epicentre.
Despite that somewhat encouraging shift, the U.S. remains the worst-hit country in the world, with more than 3.3 million Coronavirus cases and more than 135,000 deaths.
