Are Young People In Danger From The Coronavirus?

The COVID-19 coronavirus is causing panic and anxiety around the world. While wealthy people may have better ways of lowering the risk of catching the disease, it looks like the majority of the globe's population will have to pay close attention to the World Health Organization's instructions on limiting the chances of getting infected. That means you need to wash your hands, maintain at least six feet of distance from others, cover your sneezes and coughs, and try not to touch your face. But how are kids, the most vulnerable people in the world — and the people who literally touch everything, never wash their hands, and don't know the meaning of the phrase "personal space" — supposed to weather this burgeoning pandemic? Just how much of a threat does the coronavirus pose to children and young people overall?   

According to WHO's advice for the public, people of all ages are at risk for catching the coronavirus and feeling its ill-effects. WHO urges everyone to work hard at practicing good hygiene and social-distancing to avoid getting infected with the disease. However, there is a portion of the population that is more vulnerable to the negative effects of the disease: older people and those with medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and asthma, who are all more likely to get "severely ill," according to WHO.

Fortunately for kids and parents alike, being young and having no underlying medical conditions means you're unlikely to die from the disease, according to the BBC's Head of Statistics, Robert Cuffe. In early March, 2020, Cuffe presented a graphic that originated with the Chinese Center for Disease Control & Prevention, which showed that, up to about a month before that presentation, no coronovirus patients under nine years old had died from the disease. Moreover, the lowest death rates among those stricken with the disease were for patients under 30 years old.

Obviously as the pandemic spreads and health officials and scientists gather more data, these statistics could change. But for now, it seems as though younger people are the least likely to succumb to the coronovirus's lethal potential. Even still, just because you won't die from the disease doesn't mean you can't catch it and spread it to those who can. Make sure you wash your hands and stay home if you don't have to leave the house — at least until well after this pandemic has peaked.