Shomporko Desk:-In certain zones of Ontario, one of the provinces struck hardest by the pandemic, cases of COVID-19 are rising once more in an unexpected group: youngsters to a great extent in their 20s.
“We don’t wish anyone to get infected by this virus, however, it’s thrilling to see this gathering getting infected.”
“Certainly, it’s not a good trend,” stated by infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch
Hamilton health officials announced on Monday that over the previous 10 days, around 40 percent of new COVID-19 cases in the area were identified in those between the ages of 20 and 29.
The Greater Toronto Area has also reported relatively higher numbers of cases among young people. In York Region, nearly 20 percent of new cases were people between the ages of 20 and 34, and around 18 percent of Peel Region’s new cases were those between the ages of 20 and 29, according to local health units.
Officials aren’t sure where or when the specific transmission of the virus occurred to cause this rise in cases, so it’s not as simple as blaming crowds in Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto or young people flocking back to coffee shops as Ontario slowly re-opens.
Bogoch says that until we have the why and where figured out, it’s hard to do something about it.
“I think we have some unanswered questions, and we really need public health to really get a bit of a deeper dive here for us to appreciate, are these people getting infected because, for example, they’re not adhering to physical distancing measures in social interaction, or are these workers in factories or other places where they’re picking it up at work?” he said.
“We really need to know more, because if we know where they’re getting this infection, we can actually mount a public health response and prevent that from happening.”
He acknowledged that there have been and will continue to be severe cases in younger patients, but that it’s “rare.”
He said that the rise in case numbers could have to do with changes to how testing is done as well, as earlier on in the pandemic, testing was limited only to those with clear symptoms and/or travel history.
But with cases among young people being higher than expected in these areas, it could prevent those regions from re-opening on the same timeline as the rest of the province.
“It is a big issue, and we need to get to the bottom of it,” he said.
Photo Credit: Global News
