Americans over age 65 are most at risk for severe illness and death from COVID-19, but the illness can also have detrimental effects on millennials, according to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published March 18.
Researchers analyzed data on 4,226 COVID-19 cases reported to the CDC from Feb. 12 to March 16 by 49 states, three U.S. territories and Washington, D.C. The CDC had complete age data for 2,449 of these patients.
The CDC found 31 percent of all cases involved individuals age 65 or older. This age group also accounted for 45 percent of hospitalizations, 53 percent of intensive care unit admissions and 80 percent of deaths.
However, the report also shows that millennials "are not invincible," STAT wrote in an article about the CDC analysis. Of the 508 cases known to involve hospitalizations, 20 percent involved patients ages 20 to 44, and of the 705 cases in that age range, between 14.3 percent and 20.8 percent were hospitalized. About 2 percent to 4 percent of patients in this age range required treatment in an ICU.
To view the CDC's full analysis, click here.