Children and adolescents contract the COVID-19 infection more often, but their participation in the epidemic process is greatly underestimated, scientists say.
The authors of the new study analyzed the statistics of new cases of COVID-19 infection in the summer of 2020 in 6 US states, where there was a sharp increase in the incidence of COVID-19, followed by its stabilization at a higher level.
In these states, the prevalence of coronavirus infection among adolescents and young adults between the ages of 10 and 24 was higher than among seniors over 60. Thus, in Florida and Utah, 2.2% of residents aged 15-24 were infected, while the proportion of cases in the age group over 65 was only 1.1%.
According to scientists, this phenomenon is primarily due to the fact that adolescents have much more social contacts than older people: they are more likely to gather in companies and visit public places. Besides, most adolescents are convinced that the coronavirus is not dangerous for them, therefore, compliance with preventive measures is more negligent. Meanwhile, older people are more worried about their health, so they try to follow all the recommendations of the health authorities.
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