[mar3o]

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/young...b639909d576089

More Young People Are Testing Positive For COVID-19, Particularly In The South

Over the last week, officials in Florida, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina have reported an uptick in COVID-19 cases among people in their 20s and 30s. In Florida, where the total case count surpassed 100,000 on Monday, the median age for coronavirus victims went from 65 at the beginning of March to 36 last week, according to the Florida Department of Health.

“Not only are they testing positive because they’re testing more, they’re also testing positive at a higher rate, increasingly over the last week,” he said of these younger individuals. “That’s evidence that there’s transmission within those communities, particularly the 20s and 30s.”

At a news conference Thursday, he attributed this rise to activity at bars and restaurants, particularly over Memorial Day weekend, and warned that these establishments could have their licenses suspended if they don’t adhere to COVID-19 guidelines.

“There have been pictures that I have seen and others have seen about these bar-type settings where clearly the standards are not being followed,” he said.

Dr. C. Wendell James III, the chief clinical officer for Prisma Health – Upstate in Greenville, South Carolina, stressed that younger people may believe themselves to be resistant to the disease, but it can carry far more health implications than they realize.

“It can have effects on kidneys, liver, lungs, heart ― and we don’t know how permanent that is going to be,” he told Greenville News.