Nearly Half of California's COVID-19 Cases Involve Younger People, Reports Claim
A disturbing trend is emerging in California as nearly half of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases involve younger people aged 34 and under.
An analysis released this week showed 44 percent of new diagnoses involve young adults while cases involving individuals older than 50 has seen a drop from 46 to 30.5 percent in the past month. Confirmed coronavirus cases involving Californians aged 35 to 49 has flattened, the Mercury News reports.
George Lemp, an infectious disease expert, claimed the results may be due to the state's reopening economy. He also cited that young adults may have veered away from following social distancing guidelines and consistent use of face masks or coverings.
The scientist also suggested the increased availability of coronavirus tests, which scaled up from 2,000 per day in April to 60,000 per day this week, may also play a role in the shift.
While the state does not report overall coronavirus trends by age, Lemp archived the data which shows people ages 18 to 34 now have the largest share of new infections, with 12,919 cases reported between May 31 to June 13.
Maskless Partygoers
Over the weekend, particularly on Friday night, authorities claimed partygoers in the Gaslamp Quarter were seen standing shoulder to shoulder on sidewalks without wearing face masks. The scene prompted health officials to issue a public health warning on Monday.
According to the Pacific San Diego, law enforcement officers will be deployed starting Thursday to block off streets, providing revellers more space to observe social distancing measures.
No actions were taken on the large number of people who violated public health order despite a recent shutdown order imposed on the El Prez bar and restaurant in Pacific Beach on May 22. The order came after videos surfaced of people drinking and crowding into the establishment shortly after the restrictions were lifted.
Reopening and Surges
The number of deaths related to the global pandemic has surpassed 5,000 in California over the weekend amid reopenings of malls, museums, and movie theaters. Imperial County and Los Angeles have seen a surge of cases, leaving healthcare providers concerned about a regression.
In Los Angeles, hospitalizations have seen a downward trend, but a tracker developed by Mercury News showed the county saw nearly 1,000 new cases and 17 fatalities on Sunday night, which is more than half of the daily total reported by state officials, the Guardian said.
In Imperial county, over 1,600 residents signed a letter asking California Governor Gavin Newsom to interfere as local officials push to reopen the economy. According to state guidelines, counties are required to show that only 8 percent or fewer coronavirus tests yield positive results. However, in Imperial, over 24 percent of tests come back positive.
California has performed a total of 2.86 million diagnostic tests-78,000 of which was just complete over the weekend. The state is also expected to train 10,000 contact tracers next month.