Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, countless teens are still going out to meet their friends while not wearing masks and social distancing. If teens better understood the scientific evidence behind the spread of COVID-19, they would be more likely to comply with safety recommendations.
Most young adults infected with SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, present very mild symptoms or none at all. Even if adolescents and young adults contract the virus, they often recover quickly. Although there have been over 100,000 deaths in the United States as of early June 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 232 recorded deaths have been in the 15-24 age group [1]. Based on these statistics, some young people are less concerned about following the health recommendations intended to keep everyone safe.
Teens need to be educated about the risk they can pose to people they care about – such as parents, grandparents, coaches, and teachers – by not following social distancing and mask recommendations. If one person in a household has COVID-19 others are more likely to contract it as well. Moreover, most deaths belong to the age group of 50 years and older, so parents and other older people within one’s household could be at serious risk. The social responsibility in this situation is simple: teens should stay safe and follow all health guidelines so we do not infect our families and other people.
Teens also need to realize that one can be infected without realizing it and spread the virus. According to a study in the scientific journal Nature, viral shedding is reported to be especially high during the first phase of illness when symptoms are mild [2]. Most people would stay home if they knew they were sick; however, due to the frequently asymptomatic nature of COVID-19, one could be spreading the virus without even knowing it. Therefore, teens should always wear masks and practice social distancing to make sure they are not unknowingly shedding the virus and potentially infecting others.
Another significant problem with teens ignoring safety recommendations is the negative impact it has on those with underlying health issues. The CDC reports that COVID-19 deaths are 12 times more likely to occur if someone has an underlying health issue. Everyone with underlying health conditions, including teens, are six times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those who are in good general health [3].
Young adults and teens must recognize the facts: we pose a major threat to anyone over 50 or those with underlying health conditions. We also have to realize the effect our actions have on the duration and fatality rates of this pandemic. In this critical time, we must balance social needs against the scientific evidence that urges us to change our behavior – and science has to win.
[1] “Provisional COVID-19 Death Counts by Sex, Age, and Week,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://data.cdc.gov/NCHS/Provisional-COVID-19-Death-Counts-by-Sex-Age-and-W/vsak-wrfu.
[2] Roman Wölfel et al., “Virological Assessment of Hospitalized Patients with COVID-2019,” Nature News, April 1, 2020, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2196-x.
[3] E. K. Stokes et al., “Coronavirus Disease 2019 Case Surveillance – United States, January 22-May 30, 2020,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. June 18, 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6924e2.htm.
