COLUMBUS, Ohio—State data shows more than half of Ohio residents who reported developing coronavirus symptoms in the past three weeks are under the age of 40, marking a change from earlier in the pandemic when most diagnosed cases were among older Ohioans.
The statistics from the Ohio Department of Health mirror a nationwide trend of younger people making up an ever-larger portion of coronavirus cases. Experts cite a number of factors, including that young people have increased access to testing and are more likely to disregard social-distancing measures.
According to state estimates, 3,759 Ohioans in their 20s had an onset of systems since June 16, making up about 26% of Ohio’s total during that time – the highest number cases among any age group. In addition, 2,695 Ohioans in their 30s (18.5% of new cases), and 1,791 Ohioans age 19 or younger (12.3%) reported new symptoms in the past three weeks.
By contrast, in March, as the coronavirus crisis arose in Ohio, the age group with the most number of coronavirus cases were people age 50-59 (20.6% of cases), according to state statistics. State residents age 40 or younger made up a total of 28.5% of the state’s cases that month.
Gov. Mike DeWine and health experts say the greater numbers of young – and, as a group, healthier – people getting sick is one reason that Ohio’s coronavirus death rate has fallen from 8.6 percent in April to 5.2 percent in May and a projected 2.2 percent in June, according to data released Tuesday.
However, the governor warned during a televised briefing Tuesday that even though young people are more likely to survive the virus, they risk infecting older and more vulnerable Ohioans.
“We are seeing some young people who are getting pretty sick. But the other concern is that they pass it on to other individuals who are older – individuals who have more medical problems,” DeWine said. “That’s a great concern.”
A number of national infectious-disease experts have warned that this means while the death rate is comparatively low now, it’s likely to rise as younger people spread it.
“They get infected first, then they come home, and then they infect the older people. The older people get the complications, and then they go to the hospitals,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, to Axios last month. “The death rate always lags several weeks behind the infection rate.”
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, during DeWine’s briefing, appealed particularly to young athletes to wear face coverings and obey social-distancing rules to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
Husted announced the formation of the #IWantASeason campaign, in which high-school, college, and pro athletes encourage others to take anti-coronavirus measures to allow sports to resume normal play and to ensure athletes avoid being sidelined by the virus.
“If you’re healthy and you exercise – you feel like you’re invincible. At that age, I probably would’ve had the same attitude,” said Husted, who played football while attending the University of Dayton in the late 1980s. “But there are a lot of reasons that you need to care about the spread of coronavirus.”
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