One in five coronavirus patients hospitalized in the US is under the age of 44, according to a new federal report — proving that even young Americans can face serious health outcomes if the virus is not contained.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report Wednesday that showed that about 20% of the 508 patients known to have been hospitalized were between the ages of 20 and 44.
The ratio jumps to nearly two in five — 38% — when the age bracket is increased to 54.
In addition, nearly half of the 121 cases that were critical enough to be admitted to the intensive care unit were adults under 65, according to the report.
People between the ages of 65 and 84 only accounted for a slightly higher percentage of those hospitalized — around 26% — and about 9% were over the age of 85.
Eighteen percent of hospitalizations were patients between the ages of 45 and 54, with another 17% between 55 and 64.
Less than 1% of the hospitalized cases were age 19 or younger, the CDC reported. None of the intensive care cases were from this age group.
The vast majority of deaths, however, were older Americans. Of the 44 people whose deaths were recorded in the report, 46% were between the ages of 65 and 84, and 34% were 85 or older.
It is important to note that the report included no information about underlying health conditions, so it is not known whether those who were hospitalized or died — both young and old — had compromised immune systems.
The report comes as more than 10,000 Americans have tested positive for the virus, causing at least 163 deaths, according to CNN.
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