New Yorkers age 18 to 44 make up bulk of coronavirus cases

New Yorkers between the ages of 18 and 44 account for the bulk of positive COVID-19 cases, according to new city data.
Those residents accounted for 46 percent of the 12,339 cases as of Monday morning, according to the city Department of Health. Just 40 percent of the city’s population is between those ages.
The next-highest concentration of cases is people ages 45 to 64 at 33 percent, followed by ages 65 to 74 at 11 percent, 75 and over at 8 percent and ages 0 to 17 at 3 percent.
Men represent the majority of city cases at 57 percent.
Experts have said the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions are at the greatest risk of dying from the coronavirus. Officials have said those groups should be prioritized for testing.
As of Sunday morning, 34 of the city’s 63 deaths from the coronavirus were patients over age 75. The remaining 29 were between ages 45 and 74. Men accounted for 43 of the fatalities while women made up the other 20.
On Friday, the city health commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot, said it’s premature to draw conclusions about the data showing that confirmed cases skew toward middle-aged people.

 

“I think it’s too early in the outbreak to make any informed opinions about what that might be,” she said.
“But it does sort of draw attention to the fact as we have said in the past, that we are encouraging those in that age group who are not symptomatic, not to be tested, and that we are encouraging folks who are mildly symptomatic to remain home.
“You know, I know that recently there have been reports where worldwide, it seems like men have worse outcomes than women. Again, I think it’s premature to make any sort of inferences on what that might mean because especially here in New York City, we’re only at the very, very, very beginning of this outbreak. And while for example, places like Italy, you may see that disparity, in places like Korea it’s a 50-50 split. So, I think it’s too early to tell,” Barbot said.
https://nypost.com/2020/03/23/new-yorkers-aged-18-44-make-up-bulk-of-coronavirus-cases/