- This episode is supported by Kiwi Co.
When COVID-19 first began to spread,
much of the conversation was around how older people,
particularly those above 60 were the target of the virus.
But as more stories and data come out about young people
being hospitalized or even dying, are young people safe?
Today, we're gonna be looking at the coronavirus data
and its impact on different age groups
from infection rates to hospitalization to deaths.
First, we'll look broadly at those under 60 years old
because a lot of the studies that have come out
used that age distinction,
but then we'll look more specifically
at 20 to 44 years olds, and then finally,
look at those under 20 with the data that's available.
- It's important to remember that COVID-19
can take a serious toll on your respiratory system.
If it gets into the lungs, the virus damages the alveoli,
which are tiny sacs in your lungs
that exchange oxygen into your blood.
As these alveoli become damaged by the virus,
it becomes difficult to breathe,
and your own immune system can sometimes
make things worse by going into overdrive,
also killing useful cells and causing more fluid
and blockages in the lungs.
This will be important to remember later
when we talk about the lungs and immune systems
of young versus old people.
- So let's take a look at some numbers.
If we just take a look at the percentages
of death per age group in this graph,
it's clear that the older you are,
the higher the risk of death.
But last month, the CDC released the following chart,
which took a month long view at COVID-19 patients.
In it, we can see that for people
between the ages of 20 to 44 that get COVID-19,
upwards of 20% become hospitalized.
Furthermore, up to 4% required ICU admission,
and studies out of Spain have found similar numbers
with around 17% of people
between 20 to 49 requiring hospitalization.
- So did something change from the beginning
when we were mostly just told that it was old people?
Not really.
The truth is that the conversations started around people
in China who were dying,
and the early data that came in found
that this was mostly the older population and it still is.
But now, we are receiving more broad data
on general infections, and serious cases, not just deaths.
A recent study in Italy of 5,000 deaths found
that less than 5% of those who died were under 60,
which helps to give a little more perspective overall
a small number of people under 60,
even if hospitalized are dying.
But, it can still happen.
Furthermore, data coming out of New York City
has shown that those under 60 who have died,
around 95% of them had some other
underlying health condition.
- However, this doesn't mean that young people
aren't being severely affected.
The most recent numbers out of New York
as of April 8th, 2020 show that 39%
of those testing positive are between 18 to 44.
Of that group, 11% or 3,206
have become hospitalized and 203 have died.
Of that 203 deaths, 161 had underlying conditions,
16 did not and 26 are still being reviewed.
So while the number of deaths
in healthy, young individuals is low,
it's important to remember that severe illness
and even hospitalization rates are still significant.
- So the chances of a young person
with no underlying health conditions dying, it's rare,
but can it happen?
Yes.
And as the absolutely number of infections goes up,
even though the percentage of young people
who are dying is low,
that absolute number is going to increase as well.
So sadly, we are going to hear more stories
about young, healthy people dying.
- But what about people specifically under 20?
Well, in that same study out of Italy of 5,000 deaths,
none of them were under 20.
But we know from the headlines that there have been
a handful of deaths of teens and toddlers,
so it's not impossible.
In New York, two people under 18 have died as of April 8th,
but both of them had underlying conditions.
So, why are there seemingly
healthy young people dying at all?
One theory is that some individuals
just have a genetic makeup that makes them more likely
to respond badly to this specific coronavirus.
Others suggest there may be a specific gene
that alters respiratory receptors making it easier
for the virus to infect the lungs of some people,
and they also have to do with viral load,
that is the actual amount of virus particles
that infects an individual.
With a higher dose, it's believed
that your outcome may be worse.
- But why is it generally more rare for younger people
to die in the first place?
As you age, your lung and chest muscles weaken,
and the immune system slows down.
Mix this with the fact that older people
have a higher likelihood of other conditions
like diabetes or heart disease
and the numbers start to make more sense.
For kids, one theory is that their immune systems
are actually a little underdeveloped in some ways,
and so, it's less likely to kick into overdrive
and fill the lungs with fluid.
- We wanted to make this video not to scare people,
but to make sure that people understood
that it can happen to young people.
Even though some may show no symptoms
while others only show mild symptoms,
being young and healthy doesn't make us invincible.
Many cases of young people have included fever for weeks,
absolute physical exhaustion and trouble breathing,
and we've yet to understand
the long-term implications on health.
- Even if you don't get seriously ill,
it doesn't mean that you can't be a carrier
and give it someone else
whether they're young or old.
And as hospital systems become full and overwhelmed,
it's possible that cases
which could be treated with intensive care
and regardless of their age
may not because there's a lack of hospital staff
or there's a lack of proper equipment.
So remember, even though your odds of dying
from COVID-19 may not be high,
it's important that you stay home
and stay away from people in order
to keep yourself safe, to keep others safe,
and to aide our hospitals in keeping us all safe.
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- And make sure you're subscribed to ASAP Science
and we'll see you next week for a new science video.
- See ya'. - Bye.
Oh my god, it's aaargh!