[gregcrv]

"nearly 40 percent of patients sick enough to be hospitalized were age 20 to 54"

So yes, they are low risk because they get priority in the hospitals. But when the hospital is full, what will happen to them?

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/health/coronavirus-young-...

[misun78]

Hospitalization does not imply high risk. That article also has an unnecessarily wide range to make the data meaningless. Why are 20 year olds and 54 year olds bucketed in the same category?

For more accurate data, 0 deaths have occurred in Italy for those under 30. Under 40, the few (9) are due to severe pre-existing conditions. Median age for fatality is 80 years old.

The exponential curve not only applies for rate of infection but seems to be holding true for age as well.

Edit: Source for Italy data here - https://www.epicentro.iss.it/coronavirus/bollettino/Infograf...

[omarhaneef]

Not sure why you are being downvoted rather than argued with.

Here is part of the problem: hospitalization and ICU don't necessarily mean the patient will die as long as we have the resources to hospitalize, intubate and medicate the patient.

Once we are out of respirators and the like, then the death rate with these patients will spike.

In Italy, we are seeing younger patients face graver conditions over time as the medical system gets overrun. [citation needed if someone help me dig one up? I can't remember where I read this]

this could be for a number of reasons though:

1. younger people feel invulnerable and go out more

2. underlying conditions in these people x a large population

3. overwhelmed hospitals

Likely, some combination of the above.

[dajohnson89]

could you please share a source? I dont think your comment deserves to be downvoted like it is, but a source on the data you mention would be very helpful.

[toby]

I don't know why you're getting downvoted on this, the range they choose is super weird.

The actual report says that people under 19 comprise 2% of hospitalizations -- I doubt it suddenly jumps to 38% for the next 5 years. It also says there are no known fatalities of people under 19.