GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — What we know about COVID-19 so far, is that the virus has had a tremendous effect on the elderly.
But, according to Humberto Choi, M.D., of Cleveland Clinic, that doesn’t mean that young people are not becoming ill from the disease.
“I think there is this misconception out there related to COVID-19 that only grandma will get sick from COVID-19, and because you are young, you won’t get it,” he said. “I think the numbers from the CDC are showing that this is not true, as almost 40 percent of the hospitalized cases are in people who are very young.”
Experts are looking into the possibility that vaping could be a contributing factor as to why the U.S. is seeing a higher number of younger people hospitalized due to COVID-19, in comparison to other countries.
Dr. Choi said anyone who puts a strain on their lungs and airways – either by vaping or smoking, increases their risk for complications, should they contract COVID-19.
“This is a real disease; there are cases we are seeing in the hospital, people who are getting very sick and need life support,” he said. “It’s true that not everyone will die from the disease, which is great, but the disease can be severe enough to affect someone’s life forever.”
Dr. Choi said the most important thing people can do right now is to take all of the precautions seriously. Even people without any major underlying health issues are getting sick from the COVID-19 virus, so no one is completely safe from the disease.
He also cautions people to only follow information from reputable sources – such as the CDC or local and state health departments.
“Right now it’s important, more than ever, to try to get very good and reliable information,” said Dr. Choi. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there, and sometimes people can act on bad information, and can put themselves in danger, depending on how and where they are getting their information from.”
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