Confirmed cases and serious hospitalizations among young people in the United States are increasing for unknown reasons. Experts are calling for increased vaccinations. The photo shows the Pfizer vaccine administered to young people at the Los Angeles vaccination station this month.
With the launch of the new pneumonia vaccination, the epidemic is showing signs of abatement, but recent epidemic data show that the number of young people infected with the disease, and even serious illnesses are on the rise, which is very different from the situation last year when the epidemic was severe, mainly among the elderly.
“ABC reported that when the epidemic gripped the country last year, the majority of people infected with the epidemic were elderly, and the risk was especially high for the elderly with chronic diseases.
Infectious disease physician Chris Baliga (Chris Baliga) said that the medical institution where he works now has more patients under the age of 40, the proportion also reached 40%, and the number of serious illnesses among these young patients has increased, making him feel “extremely surprised.
Kaiser Permanente epidemiologist Katie Sharff said that although the more young patients admitted, there must be some serious cases, and indeed some patients have problems such as obesity, but not all young patients with serious illnesses have existing health problems that cannot be ignored, making this trend “extremely striking.
The exact cause of this phenomenon remains unknown, with experts naming possibilities including: variant viruses, lax vaccination measures, unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated, and self-reliance on good resistance, etc. It could of course be the result of a combination of factors.
As for the surge in serious cases in younger patients without the disease, Schaaf said part of the reason is that many young people will try to stay home and see if they can “pull through” compared to older people who go to the hospital immediately after contracting the disease.
Samuel V. Scarpino, an epidemiologist at Northeastern University, said the U.S. vaccine prioritizes high-risk groups, and young hospitalized patients are hardly ever vaccinated; Schaaf also said the decrease in older patients may have actually revealed the effectiveness of the vaccine.
Almost all 50 states are now open to vaccination for people over 16 years old, but Scarpino said it takes four to six weeks from the first dose to form antibodies; Schaaf is concerned about the fact that many young people are reluctant to get vaccinated.
Cassie Sauer, president of the Washington State Hospital Association, said it’s “not going to happen” for young people to think they’re immune to serious illnesses from the epidemic. “Don’t think you’re safe from the epidemic.
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