A majority of 1,022 confirmed coronavirus cases in Pakistan are young adults with 21-30 years of age, as opposed to China, where infection is most common among seniors 65 years of age and older.
“24% of the confirmed cases in Pakistan so far are between 21 to 30 years of age. This constitutes a majority of the cases. The pattern is unlike other countries where cases mostly comprise older people,” Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said Wednesday.
Although the SAPM did not share a complete picture of coronavirus trend in the country, the numbers highlighted indicated that no age group was immune to the virus the young and the old were equally susceptible to contracting the disease, reported The News.
Moreover, new evidence from the United States and Europe also drew attention toward young adults falling extremely sick because of Covid-19. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, 705 of the first 2,500 coronavirus cases in the United States were aged 20-44 years.
However, complications and ICU admissions among younger people were relatively lower as compared to the older age bracket, the centre underlined.
“The fact that Pakistan has a higher young population as compared to China and many other affected countries, explains why a majority of the confirmed cases in Pakistan constitute young adults,” Chief Epidemiologist at the National Institute of Health, Dr Rana Safdar, said.
Dr Mirza shared that 5,225 people were currently isolated in quarantine facilities across Pakistan. Of these, 23% had tested positive, while all others were being sent back home with explicit instructions for protection. Commenting on this, Dr Rana added that many suspected patients who were screened in quarantine facilities tested positive for the virus with little or no symptoms.
