Coronavirus has hospitalized high number of younger Americans, CDC report

Most early analysis on coronavirus suggested older people are most vulnerable

Published: March 19, 2020 9:33am

Updated: May 29, 2020 7:19pm

A new CDC report shows that 20 percent of Americans hospitalized by the coronavirus are 20 to 44 years old, contrasting earlier reports that elderly people are the most vulnerable.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Wednesday shows the risk of dying from the virus is still significantly higher among older people and did not state whether the younger, hospitalized patients were more vulnerable to infection as a result of underlying risk factors.

As of Wednesday, the U.S. had more than 9,400 reported cases of the virus and at least 149 virus-related deaths.

The virus, also known as COVID-19, was first detected in China in late-2019.

“Early data from China suggest that a majority of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) deaths have occurred among adults aged ≥60 years and among persons with serious underlying health conditions,” the report states.

The CDC says the report was compiled from data received and analyzed from 49 states, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories from February 12 to March 16.