Canada's Chief Doctor Warns That Most Of The World's COVID-19 Cases Are Young People
COVID-19 affects everyone, regardless of their age group. While virus-related deaths are rare among young people, Canada's Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, says they can still get seriously ill. She also said they make up the majority of cases around the world.
During a March 24 update on COVID-19, Dr. Theresa Tam was asked about young people getting the virus, and whether ones with pre-existing health conditions were being hit harder.
"The majority of cases are actually in the younger age group," the doctor said, "They're just not getting as sick."
She continued saying that young people can absolutely get "really seriously sick."
"We've all heard of case reports of severe illness and even death, although much rarer, in the younger age group."
Dr. Tam then mentioned that there have been experiences shared by young people on YouTube and other sites detailing how intense and severe this illness can be.
"We need to spread this message to a younger generation so that they don't think it's just an illness that impacts the older age groups or people with chronic underlying illness," she stated.
"All of us can potentially get this disease, and you may not be able to tell whether you're the one that's going to get particularly sick."
Dr. Tam concluded by saying that she does not think this message is getting out there enough, and so there are still young people that are not taking this seriously.
Photos have been circulating on Twitter of crowds in parks and on beaches in Vancouver, leading the messaging on social distancing to become more severe.
In his latest address, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that refusing to social distance could have "serious consequences."
The continuing COVID-19 outbreak has led almost every Canadian province, as well as a number of individual cities, to declare a state of emergency and close non-essential businesses.